Academic calendars are over, summer is heating up and the offseason is in full swing for college football programs around the nation. While rosters are hardly finalized as plenty of transfers still seek destinations, each school has a pretty good sense of what their team will look like come fall.

With that, we'll turn our attention to the Badgers' slate of 2023 opponents. Wisconsin will get another crack at a Washington State team that embarrassed the Badgers in Madison last season. This time, they'll be on the road in Pullman.

EARLY SCOUTING REPORTS: Buffalo Bulls

Revenge. Thats's what Wisconsin will be after on Sept. 9 in Pullman. A year ago, after Wisconsin shellacked Illinois State in the opener, the underdog Cougars came to town and upset the Badgers in a loss that would be a portent for how the rest of the season would unfold. The game was defined by mind-numbing mistakes on Wisconsin's end, namely missed field goals and two critical fumbles, one in the red zone and another immediately after an interception.

Washington State is trying to return to the glory years that were spearheaded by the late Mike Leach, an era that saw the program appear in five consecutive bowl games from 2015-2019, the longest such streak in school history. The man tasked with returning the Cougars to national relevance is head coach Jake Dickert. Through a season and a half, Dickert is 10-9, although after authoring a seven-win season in 2022, he received a contract extension that will keep him in Pullman through 2027.

As is tradition with Washington State teams, the Cougars are defined by their passing attack. A season ago, former FCS standout Cameron Ward tossed for 3,231 yards, 23 touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing 64.4 percent of his passes. His numbers were slightly modest considering the lofty expectations placed on him after he destroyed FCS competition at Incarnate Word, but the quarterback is still a high-quality Power Five starter. Against the Badgers in Madison, Ward threw for 200 yards, one score and two picks. Despite those pedestrian numbers, he did all that was necessary to beat a Wisconsin team that couldn't stop shooting itself in the foot.

Washington State may not be headed by Leach anymore, but the remnants of his air raid offense are still alive and well. The Cougars, much like Wisconsin is expected to this season, play at a breakneck offensive pace. Not only do they get to the line of scrimmage and snap the ball in a hurry, but many of their plays are predicated on quick hitting screens and RPOs, the latter of which the Badgers simply had no answer for last season.

Washington State enters 2023 with renewed expectations. With Dickert entering his second year and Ward returning at signal caller, it's reasonable to expect a step forward from the Cougars. They manage to avoid USC in their conference slate, but still face tough tests like UCLA and Oregon, as well as the all-important Apple Cup against Washington. DraftKings currently has their over-under win total at 6.5. That feels a tad low — if the Cougars can defeat either Oregon State or UCLA, who they face back to back, and take care of business against the basement of the Pac-12, this team could realistically win eight games.

Kyle Williams, WR, UNLV — Knowing they needed to replace a significant amount of production at wide receiver, the Cougars signed three transfers who they hope will immediately bolster the receiving core. The most notable of the bunch may be Williams, the former Runnin' Rebel. Williams was a high-volume pass-catcher in Vegas, reeling in 82 catches for 1,142 yards and seven touchdowns over the last two seasons.

Devin Richardson, LB, Texas — Between Daiyan Henley and Francisco Mauigoa, Washington State lost two of their top three sack artists from 2022 this offseason. Enter Richardson, a journeyman outside linebacker who started his career at New Mexico State. Richardson has played on the defensive line, on the edge and in the box throughout his career, and the Cougars are hoping he has a serviceable third act to add juice to the front seven.

Ahmad McCullough, LB, Maryland — Another area the Cougars must quickly replenish within their defense is box linebackers who can tackle. McCullough was never a superstar at Maryland, but he proved to be solid tackler who only got better with each season in College Park. Washington State is hoping he can step in and immediately contribute at linebacker.

De'Zhaun Stribling, WR — Stribling was the Cougars leading receiver a season ago, putting up 51 catches for 602 yards and five touchdowns. After two very productive seasons in Pullman, the wideout sought greener pastures and transferred to Oklahoma State in December. Ward will have to build rapport with a new top target in 2023.

Robert Ferrel, WR — Ferrel was another one of Ward's favorite targets last season, and him and Stribling were essentially both wide receiver ones. Ferrel paced the team in catches with 56, which shouldn't come as a surprise considering he played with Ward at the FCS level. That connection will be missed within the Cougars passing attack.

Daiyan Henley, LB — Henley's well-deserved departure to the NFL creates a massive gap in production in the Cougars defense. The linebacker was everywhere in 2022, totaling 106 tackles, four sacks, one pick, and was involved in forcing or recovering five fumbles. He went 85th overall to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Armani Marsh, DB — The Cougars aren't know for their defense, but their secondary was somewhat of a weak spot in 2022 despite a few very solid individual seasons in the back end. They allowed nearly 270 yards through the air each week, which puts them in the bottom-20 nationally. With standout defensive back Armani Marsh currently battling for an NFL roster spot, the Cougars will be hard-pressed to change that. Marsh was third on the team in tackles, and proved his knack for the ball by notching stats in the sack, fumble and interception columns.

- Plenty of receiving options for the Cougars, no clear top dog: According to Colton Clark of The Seattle Times, nine receivers are in the mix for first team reps, while no true top option has emerged. As mentioned, the Cougars have a lot of production to replace at pass-catcher, and Dickert is clearly leaving no stone unturned on his roster in order to discern the best options at his disposal.

- Transfer cornerback stepping up: Clark also reports that Cam Lampkin, a cornerback who transferred in from Utah State a season ago, has played well all spring. The senior looks set to replace the productive Derrick Langford Jr., who graduated after holding down a starting spot in the Cougars secondary.

- Offensive looks explosive: Recapping the Cougars' spring game for the Spokesman-Review, Clark reported that Washington State's first team offense looks highly potent. Ward led scoring drives on four of his six possessions. True freshman wide out DT Sheffield, among other receivers, made highlight reel plays. There's plenty of optimism amongst the Cougar faithful that this offense could catch plenty of people by surprise come fall.

Ward did well to topple Wisconsin's defense with a flurry of RPOs and quick passes last season, but he wasn't necessarily the reason the Cougars won. Ward has some elite traits and a very dangerous arm, but he won't be the most dangerous player Washington State deploys when Wisconsin takes the field in Pullman. That honor will go to the ex-Badger, tailback Nakia Watson.

By all accounts, there were no hard feelings between Watson and the Badgers when he transferred after two years in Madison. That doesn't mean Watson didn't want to let Wisconsin know just what they were missing when he returned to his old school. It's safe to say he made that crystal clear.

Watson scored both of the Cougars touchdowns on the day, including a 33-yard catch-and-run in which he disposed of safety Kamo'i Latu with a gorgeous spin move.

In addition to his 769 yards and nine scores on the ground last season, Watson caught 30 balls for 295 yards and four touchdowns. His ability to do damage both by air and by ground makes him a problem for any opponent, and he would like nothing more than to knock off his old program in back to back years.

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