MADISON, Wis. - Football season is around the corner, so BadgerBlitz.com contributors Jon McNamara, John Veldhuis and Dan Broughton ranked the top 30 players who will make or break Wisconsin's first year under new head coach Paul Chryst.

The series will run every other day, counting down until we reveal this season's key player.

Playing time, past performance and positional depth all factored in to our individual rankings, which were combined into a final score.

No. 14: CHIKWE OBASIH, DE

Chikwe Obasih is the lone returning starter from last year's defensive line, which makes him an important part of Dave Aranda's defense as the Badgers try and re-vamp their defensive line.

Obasih is set to return after he played in all 14 games on the first team defensive line, following impressive performances during spring and fall camp that allowed him to jump some older players on the depth chart. He was credited with eight starts during the season, which actually means he's started the most games for the Badgers out of their defensive linemen.

That puts a lot of pressure on Obasih to be a consistent force on the line while the Badgers try and sort out the other defensive end spot. Redshirt senior Jake Keefer technically has the most games played in his career with 17, but Arthur Goldberg played about as much as Obasih in 2014 and needs a new home now that Conor Sheehy has been moved to nose tackle. Obasih's fellow Brookfield native, Alec James, will also be in the mix at defensive end, too.

The uncertainty on the other side of the line underscores how important Obasih is to Wisconsin's defensive effort in 2015. They need players who are versatile enough to stop the run and rush the passer, and can't afford for much of a sophomore slump out of Obasih if it takes a while to get the rest of the defensive line to gel.

But with just one year of experience under his belt, it's unlikely that we've seen Obasih's ceiling as a college player. If he can take another step forward in 2015 it would give the Badgers a big boost as they try to remain one of the country's best defenses, despite their re-tooled front seven.

This inside linebacker looks like he is going to be a big part of Wisconsin's defense in 2015.