A Wisconsin Badger is one of PFF’s ’50 best players in college football’

Surprisingly, only one Badger made the list:

Wisconsin Head Coach Luke Fickell spent no time bolstering what was already a strong roster. It isn’t a stretch, now, to call this group the deepest team Wisconsin’s had on both sides of the ball in some years.

The question that could define whether the Badgers return to Indianapolis to capture their first Big Ten title since 2012 will be whether there is enough top-end elite talent.

The wide receiver room could go seven-deep, but will any challenge for the second-best spot in the conference behind Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr.? The quarterback room is deep with star talent, but how good will Tanner Mordecai’s one season in Madison be? The linebacking core is set for a great year, but is there a good Keeanu Benton replacement up front? These are just some of the questions that will be answered when the season gets underway.

One position which undeniably has elite talent is running back, with returning starters Braelon Allen and Chez Mellusi. ProFootballFocus agrees, as the service recently had Allen at No. 43 in its piece on ‘the 50 best players in college football.’

Here’s what PFF had to say:

Allen is a true workhorse for the Badgers. His 415 carries and 2,500 rushing yards over the past two seasons lead all returning Power Five running backs. Those were also his first two seasons of college football. Not to mention, he’ll be only 19 years old all of his junior season.

I think by season’s end there will be a few more Badgers past the top 50 threshold — safety Hunter Wohler and left tackle Jack Nelson to name a few. But in an age of college football focused on star ratings and top-end talent, Wisconsin may not quite compare to the Ohio States of the world in that category.