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.

Don't overlook how well T.J. Edwards and Ryan Connelly played for UW at inside linebacker on a week-to-week basis, but Badgers fans should be thrilled with how Zack Baun finished his junior season for the Badgers at outside linebacker. Baun's last five games of the year featured Pro Football Focus grades of 79.7, 77.0, 82.9, 67.4, and 73.0 - he finished the year with an overall grade of 82.2. With Baun set to be the only starting linebacker to return to the 2019 team, seeing him come in to his own during the second part of the year should give UW fans some confidence that he can carry that forward in to his senior season.

Edwards and Connelly finished their seasons on a high note, but they both struggled against BYU - particularly when it came to finishing off tackles. The Cougars tried to throw the Badgers off their game with some pre-snap motions before running the ball up the middle, and it worked. Wisconsin's senior linebackers lost some of their eye discipline, and it came back to bite them in UW's loss to BYU.

-- Give credit to Andrew Van Ginkel for battling through a nagging leg injury for most of the season. When he looked healthy he was a force for UW in their pass rush - but it was clear he was fighting through his injury for a good part of his senior season.

-- Chris Orr reeled in an interception during Wisconsin's win over Miami in the Pinstripe Bowl - it was a highlight catch for a player who saw his playing time cut down to get Edwards and Connelly on the field as often as possible. Orr made the most of his reps in 2018, and now he'll have a chance to show what he can do as a full-time starter in 2019.

There's plenty of playing time up for grabs in 2019 at linebacker for the Badgers, with Baun the only projected returning starter. At this point it seems safe to assume that Orr will take over one of the inside linebacker spots, with Jack Sanborn, Griffin Grady, or walk-on Mike Maskalunas competing to take over the other spot. The Badgers will also need to find a new starter at outside linebacker to pair with Baun - and Tyler Johnson, Christian Bell and Noah Burks will likely be the top contenders for the job. They've had some time to get a little seasoning - now it's time for the Badgers to find out what they can do in a full-time role.

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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.