Senior writer Jake Kocorowski breaks down 10 things to watch for and know before the No. 19 Wisconsin Badgers face the South Florida Bulls this Friday night inside Raymond James Stadium.

A lot of firsts this week for me with BadgerBlitz.com's game-day coverage and our weekly sets of series kicking back up, and I am truly fortunate to have joined the staff here and do what I do in covering Wisconsin athletics.

It really is crazy just to reflect on where this program has gone since I started covering it since 2013 during the initial season of the short-lived Gary Andersen era. That has included Big Ten Championship game appearances, five straight bowl wins and plenty of NFL-bound Badgers.

Last season, the national hype was on full display for Wisconsin with a preseason No. 4 ranking, but it all changed after a shocking home loss to BYU and an eventual 8-5 record in 2018. The offense never lived up to the potential hype as Alex Hornibrook fought injury symptoms and on-the-field regression, and what was a promising potential in the passing game never came to fruition. The defense needed to replace many key cogs from a year earlier, and injuries in that unit forced a lot of younger, inexperienced players to step up.

Early on, this Badgers squad seems different. Gone is Hornibrook and Jack Coan is QB1 for the Badgers. Though the offensive line replaces four "regular" starters, it appears in reload mode with center Tyler Biadasz anchoring that group. Jonathan Taylor is within striking distance of the FBS career rushing yards record, and from what was seen during fall camp, he could be a threat in the passing game. Speaking of the aerial attack, the quarterbacks and receivers' chemistry appeared to improve drastically watching those August practices -- and on top of that, Quintez Cephus returned to the team last week.

The defense, if healthy, could be drastically better than last season. Ends Garrett Rand and Isaiahh Loudermilk return to the line that could bolster production. Questions about the pass rush are still out there and warranted, but Zack Baun and Izayah Green-May appear to be the first duo up on the edge. The secondary may have the most depth with starting-caliber players.

The program should be better in 2019, but with cross-divisional matchups against Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State -- plus an improved Big Ten West division boasting several contenders -- can UW get back to Indianapolis?

To be precise, Taylor needs 2,235 yards to break the FBS all-time rushing record.

South Florida gave up nearly 250 yards on the ground per game last season and, well, UW gained over 270 per contest. The junior running back led the nation in rushing yards (2,194 yards) and rushing yards per game (168.8) on way to winning the 2018 Doak Walker Award. UW will likely try to do what it always does, establish the run first, and USF could sell out against it. However, Taylor faced that last season and still ran for over seven yards per carry.

One thing that should be noted is the change at offensive line, though, honestly, this is not a rebuild.

Despite the fact Wisconsin needs to replace Jon Dietzen (retirement), Michael Deiter, Beau Benzschawel and David Edwards (the latter three to the NFL), returning starter Biadasz and redshirt junior Cole Van Lanen have played many snaps at center and left tackle, respectively. Co-starter at left guard Jason Erdmann has already played in 40 games during his first four years in the program, and though redshirt sophomore right tackle Logan Bruss may be young, he gained valuable experience in replacing an injured Edwards for the final three games of 2018.

Long story short, Wisconsin has capable, more-than-game-ready linemen available to continue the precedent of success with its offensive line. Taylor's Heisman campaign will start on the field against the Bulls. The New Jersey native may not just run over USF, but can he also make his presence felt in the passing game to kickstart a potentially special 2019.