The Wisconsin Badgers closed out their 2018 season with a blowout win over Miami on Dec. 27, handing the Hurricanes a 35-3 loss in the Pinstripe Bowl.

Now BadgerBlitz.com will take a look back at the season that was, breaking down the bright spots and low points at each position, with an eye on the future as well.

Sophomore cornerback Caesar Williams, like all of Wisconsin's cornerbacks, had his ups and downs during the 2018 season. But Williams finished the year with his best game against the Miami Hurricanes in the Pinstripe Bowl, grabbing his first (and only) interception of the year and allowing just one reception on three targets against the Hurricanes. Pro Football Focus game Williams an overall grade of 81.4 for his performance in the bowl game - boosting his season-long grade to 73.2. If Williams can build off of his strong finish to the season he will be able to make a strong case to retain one of the two starting spots in 2019.

Injury issues were a problem for the Badgers all year, but they were particularly hamstrung against Michigan in early October. Faion Hicks and Caesar Williams were limited to just 23 total defensive snaps against the Wolverines, forcing Deron Harrell and Rachad Wildgoose to take on a larger load in the Big House. Harrell and Wildgoose might have good years to come for UW, but they were both raw in 2018 and made some mistakes at times that allowed the Wolverines to move the ball relatively easily. Chalk it up to a learning experience as the Badgers moved through a transition year at cornerback.

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The Badgers came in to the 2018 season looking for two new starters at cornerback who could take over for Nick Nelson and Derrick Tindal, but I don't think anyone views the position group as "settled" at the end of the year. All in all the Badgers used five different starting combinations at cornerback during their 13 games, and by the end of the year six different cornerbacks had started at least one game for the Badgers.

The good news is that the Badgers found several serviceable players in Caesar Williams, Faion Hicks, Madison Cone, Rachad Wildgoose, and Deron Harrell - but that doesn't mean the Badgers are closer to determining which pairing would be the most effective. Spring camp will give us an idea of how Wisconsin's young cornerbacks grew during a season where they were thrown in to the fire, and we might get an idea of who the Badgers think are their most reliable options in their base defense.

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John Veldhuis covers Wisconsin football, basketball and recruiting for BadgerBlitz.com on the Rivals.com network. Follow him on Twitter at @JohnVeldhuis.