With Big Ten media days fast approaching and fall camp slated to open shortly thereafter, the 2024 college football season is right around the corner. In year two of the Luke Fickell era, Wisconsin has further revamped its roster but faces a daunting schedule littered with marquee matchups.

Throughout July, BadgerBlitz.com will break down each game on Wisconsin's slate. We'll kick things off with Western Michigan, the Badgers' Week 1 opponent.

Western Michigan is looking to start anew under second-year head coach Lance Taylor. It was a grind of a debut campaign for him, as the Broncos went 4-8 in 2023, failing to qualify for a bowl game for the second straight year.

Things were generally subpar across the board last year in Kalamazoo. The Broncos deployed the nation's 84th-best passing offense and 72nd-best rushing offense in terms of yards-per-game. Defensively, they allowed nearly 400 yards of offense each game, placing that unit in a similar tier as their offense.

Taylor, formerly the offensive coordinator at Louisville, will need to figure out how to kick his offense into a higher gear. A good start is that per ESPN, the Broncos return 72 percent of their production on that side of the ball, including their starting quarterback, halfback and two of their top three receivers.

Overall, Western Michigan is expected to be a middling program in the MAC this year. If Taylor can find the right pieces he needs on offense, he has a great shot to take the Broncos to heights they haven't seen since the PJ Fleck days. Still, this is a team in the midst of a rebuild, one that should once again struggle to make a bowl game.

As mentioned, the Broncos return their starting backfield in quarterback Hayden Wolff and tailback Jalen Buckely. Wolff was far from spectacular last season, throwing for 1,505 yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 65.6 percent of his passes. Still, his experience figures to help him stave off any competitors for the QB1 job in Kalamazoo.

Buckley, on the other hand, is a proven commodity at halfback. He dashed for 1,003 yards and 10 touchdowns on 5.3 yards-per-carry a year ago, all top-five statistical finishes in the MAC. He returns alongside second-leading rusher Zahir Abdus-Salaam, who tallied 570 yards and five scores a year ago. Western Michigan hopes its passing game can take a step forward in year two of the Taylor era, but like a season ago, the Broncos will have a rock-solid backfield to rely upon in 2024.

One of the issues with Western Michigan's tepid passing attack in 2023 was its inability to hit on the big play. The Broncos' largest passing play in 2023 went for 64 yards. The longest play made by their leading receiver, Kenneth Womack, went for 34 yards. Womack returns, but Western Michigan will also rely on contributions from two transfer pass-catchers, Jordin Parker and Devaughn "Bugs" Mortimer. Parker arrives from New Mexico State, where he caught just six passes last season but turned that into 235 yards and three scores. That's the big play ability the Broncos desperately need. Mortimer, meanwhile, posted 291 yards on 15 catches for UL-Monroe last season.

Finally, Western Michigan also returns a healthy amount of experience in the offensive trenches. Its top two players from a year ago, Addison West and Jacob Gideon, both return. Of the other three projected starters, each one played at least 300 snaps last fall, according to Pro Football Focus.

While this unit underperformed last season, the experience these Broncos have certainly gives them a fighting chance to improve offensively.

Simply put, Western Michigan's defense wasn't good enough last season. A defense ranked in the mid-80s in yards-per-game can still take you far if you have a world-beating offense (see: the 2023 Washington Huskies), but that wasn't the case for the Broncos a year ago.

What's more, they lose nearly half of their production from a season ago. No less than six transfers on the defensive side of the ball figure to compete for serious playing time immediately, including the former Louisville Cardinal defensive tackle Popeye Williams and ex-D-II safety Ryan Raybuck. On the other hand, Western Michigan returns its top four tacklers to create a solid nucleus of experience and leadership on that side of the ball.

A positive from the 2023 iteration of the Broncos' defense was its propensity for creating turnovers. All told, they intercepted nine passes and recovered eight fumbles. Splash plays on defense can be volatile — as was on full display for Wisconsin last year — but if Western Michigan can continue to play with one of the more respectable turnover margins in the nation, that's how road upsets can happen.

Buckley will be a critical player in this game for several reasons. First and foremost, he's one of the most talented players on the Broncos' offense and roster as a whole. He has excellent speed once he gets to the second level, as evidenced by his 75-yard touchdown scamper on the second play from scrimmage against Syracuse last year.

What's more, if the Badgers can bottle up Buckley, the Broncos will be forced to rely on what should be considered a very shaky passing game until proven otherwise. It's always crucial to stop a road team's rushing attack, but with the way this offense is designed, its even more critical. This will be an interesting first test for Wisconsin's revamped inside linebacker room.

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