By Jeff Robbins
Staff Writer

MADISON, Wis. -- As the Badgers prepare to kick off the 2008 season this weekend, they are a study in contradictions.

They're highly ranked in preseason polls but play in a conference that is widely dismissed nationally. They'd like to continue last year's balanced offensive attack (200.8 rushing yards per game and 208.0 passing yards per game) but the fact that they have an inexperienced quarterback (Allan Evridge) throwing to largely inexperienced (Maurice Moore) or underachieving (Kyle Jefferson) receivers hints that running the ball will have to be a clear priority -- particularly with the best (P.J. Hill, Zack Brown, freshman John Clay) running back group in the Big Ten. New defensive coordinator Dave Doeren insists his defense will be stout, yet after last year's struggles against the Citadel and half of the conference, many doubts remain about the Badgers' ability to stop teams.

But really, fans just want to know, how good will the new "90210" series be. Oops, sorry, that's just me. What I meant to say was, fans just want to know how many games are the 2008 Badgers going to win? Let's take a look:

Aug. 30 versus Akron: The Badgers couldn’t have handpicked a better opponent for opening day. The Zips' roster is so thin that coaches made all sorts of bizarre moves to fill holes, including moving a leading tackler to wide receiver and moving their best running back to the defensive backfield. Akron sportswriters are urging head coach J.D. Brookhart to hold out their starters against Wisconsin in order to save them for "winnable" games. Wisconsin 35, Akron 3.

Sept. 6 versus Marshall: The competition improves in the second week, but it's a small step up, like selling Cinderella's "Night Songs" to purchase Ratt’s "Out of the Cellar." The Badgers should be able to feast on the Thundering Herd's redshirt freshman quarterback and should be able to move the ball against a defense that was dead last in the country in 2007 in takeaways. Wisconsin 27, Marshall 10.

Sept. 13 at Fresno State: The Badgers' first road game of the season will be a tough one, as Fresno State comes into the season as the favorite to win the WAC conference after a good 2007 campaign that ended with a win in the George Costanza Humanitarian Bowl. Plus Bulldog head coach Pat Hill has had success against Wisconsin, beating the Badgers in 2001 and narrowly losing to them the next season. The Bulldogs also boast what looks to be a powerful offense which Wisconsin will struggle to outscore. On top of that, Fresno State has two weeks to prepare for Bucky. This has the makings of Bret Bielema's first non-conference loss. Fresno State 41, Wisconsin 34.

Sept. 27 at Michigan: No one seems sure what to make of Michigan, whose immediate future is cloudier than Britney Spears'. They undoubtedly have the most question marks in the Big Ten. On paper, they look a lot like Wisconsin: concerns at quarterback, good (but not as good as the Badgers) depth at running back, and a defense looking to play better than it did last year. If Evridge has early success close to what Donovan had last year, than the Badgers should prevail. But if not, it's Michigan 20, Wisconsin 17.

Oct. 4 versus Ohio State: This will be Wisconsin's biggest game of the season, and one of the Buckeyes’ biggest tests (their Sept. 13 game at USC being the other). The Badgers will give the home crowd plenty of reason to cheer, but in the end, the eventual Big Ten champ will prove, like more than ten seconds of exposure to funnyman Frank Caliendo, to be too much to handle. Ohio State 30, Wisconsin 20.

Oct. 11 versus Penn State: Wisconsin's toughest stretch of the year continues, but the Badgers will be seeking revenge for last year's pasting in Happy Valley. Key off-season losses for the Nittany Lions (no, Joe Paterno is still very much alive) combined with a very angry Badgers team will lead to a surprisingly easy win under the lights. Wisconsin 24, Penn State 13.

Oct. 18 at Iowa: Iowa could be a scary team in 2008. Their biggest on-field problem (they have more off-field issues than the Lohans) could be also one of their biggest advantages: Their easy schedule. Wisconsin is likely to give Iowa its first solid test of the season, and while the Hawkeyes won’t be used to playing such stiff competition, the Badgers (see above) will be: Wisconsin 20, Iowa 10.

Oct. 25 versus Illinois: Illinois was one of the biggest surprises last year, beating Penn State, Wisconsin, and Ohio State before getting crushed by USC in the Rose Bowl. If Juice Williams can continue to mature, they could be in the Big Ten mix again. But the loss of Rashard Mendenhall will be too much for the Illini to overcome. Wisconsin 30, Illinois 17.

Nov. 1 at Michigan State: The Spartans and Badgers combined for one of the most entertaining games last year, with Bucky holding on for a 37-34 win. The Spartans should be tougher defensively this year, but will be wiped after playing Ohio State and Michigan back-to-back the previous two weeks. Wisconsin 24, Michigan State 21.

Nov. 8 at Indiana: Now things get easy for Wisconsin. Indiana had a surprisingly OK season last year, but they won’t have the emotion they played with last year following the summer passing of head coach Terry Hoeppner. They also won’t have their best player, receiver James Hardy. Wisconsin 34, Indiana 14.

Nov. 15 versus Minnesota: The Gophers are getting a new stadium in 2009. Minnesota fans probably wish it was going to be located in North Dakota. Wisconsin 45, Minnesota 20.

Nov. 22 versus Cal Poly: On a day when John McCain picked a former Miss Alaska runner-up to be his running mate, the biggest shock continues to be how Wisconsin chose to end its season with a game against Cal Poly. Though the Mustangs may be better than the Gophers. Wisconsin 49, Cal Poly 13.