Wisconsin's 2018 season is still a few months away, but it's never too early to get the inside scoop on the teams the Badgers will square off against this fall.

The Badgers will head out on the road to take on Iowa on Sept. 22, so we asked Tom Kakert of HawkeyeReport.com a few questions about what the Badgers should expect to see when they square off with the Hawkeyes for the Heartland Trophy.

Our questions and Tom's answers are included below.

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Now that 2017 is in the rear-view mirror, how would you say that season compared to your pre-season expectations for the Hawkeyes? To me it looked like they beat the teams they were supposed to - apart from that crazy game against Ohio State.

Tom Kakert: From a win/loss perspective, the season went about as I expected. I think one of the big things was Iowa ended their bowl game losing streak with the win over Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl. That was a real positive after losing five straight bowl games, with most of them being by ugly margins.I think it’s fair to say it went as expected except for the win over Ohio State and the margin of victory in that contest. I’d also say Iowa losing at home to Purdue on Senior Day was what I would call an ugly and unexpected result.Overall, I think the season had some real highs, like the wins over Ohio State, Iowa State, and Nebraska, where Iowa looked like a very strong offensive team. Then there were the losses to Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Northwestern, which were ugly from an offensive perspective.

Offensively it looks like the Hawkeyes are set to bring back most of last year’s starters, but they will have to replace some impact players like center James Daniels and running back Akrum Wadley. What do you expect to see out of that unit in 2018, and do you think quarterback Nate Stanley can take another step forward?

Tom Kakert: Iowa has some pieces returning, led by Nate Stanley, but they have some real question marks heading into the 2018 season.Had James Daniels stayed for his senior year, I’d feel a whole lot better about the offensive line. They have a pair of young rising stars at tackle in Tristian Wirfs and Alaric Jackson, but the interior has some question marks. Keegan Render will move from guard to center, but both guard positions are still kind of up for grabs.Replacing Akrum Wadley will be difficult, but manageable. Filling his shoes will be the duo of Wisconsin native Toren Young, who might be their feature back, and Ivory Kelly-Martin. I think Iowa’s backfield will end up looking more like it did in 2016 when they had Wadley and LeShun Daniels.The tight ends will be strong, led by Noah Fant, who had 11 touchdown receptions last year, and T.J. Hockenson. However, the big question mark is at wide receiver. Leading pass catcher Nick Easley will return, but they will need sophomores Brandon Smith and Ihmir Smith-Marsette to step forward. If they do, Iowa will potentially have a fairly potent offense led by Stanley, who threw 26 touchdowns as a true sophomore.

The Hawkeyes have some defensive stars to replace as well in cornerback Josh Jackson and linebacker Josey Jewell. Is there a player or two you think could take a big step forward to help replace those players?

Tom Kakert: That’s a really good question. Not only did Iowa lose Josey Jewell, but they also lost his two fellow linebackers due to graduation. If there’s a player to watch at linebacker, I would say keep an eye on Amani Jones. He has taken over as the starter at middle linebacker and he seems like he has a really good feel for the position.I think if we are looking at another emerging star I’d say a guy to watch is safety Amani Hooker. He had sort of a coming out party in the win over Ohio State when he picked off a J.T. Barrett pass in the first quarter and raced into the end zone. He had a fantastic spring and has really emerged as a leader in the secondary.

What’s one big question mark about this team that is still unanswered after the end of spring camp?

Tom Kakert: It’s hard to narrow it down to just one question. I think the first area of concern on the offensive side would be at wide receiver. They need more production from the position in 2018 and they also need a couple of young players to being to emerge.On the defensive side, anytime you replace an entire positon group, it’s going to be a question mark. It looks like Jones will handle the middle, while Kristian Welch takes over at weakside back, in place of expected starter Aaron Mends, who tore his ACL late in spring practice. Then on the outside, Nick Niemann will have the task of replacing his brother, Ben.Another concern or question mark for Iowa is at punter. They really struggled the positon last year and until either Ryan Gersonde or Colton Rastetter emerge and show consistency, it’s going to be a negative for Iowa’s special teams.

What’s a reasonable win expectation for Iowa in 2018? Do you expect that they will compete for a division title, or is there a little more rebuilding still to do?

Tom Kakert: Iowa’s schedule is pretty interesting this year. They open with four straight home games before their bye week. Then they go on the road for four of the next five contests before returning home for two of their last three games.Iowa only faces one of the Big Ten heavyweights from the east this year, which is a positive. The only school they face on the road that will likely be nationally ranked is Penn State and that’s in late October.I think Iowa will find out right out of the gate in league play as far as whether they will be a contender in the Big Ten West. The Hawkeyes host the Badgers on September 22ndand if they win that contest, they are probably going to be in the race. If they lose that one, then they are probably playing for second place in the West.

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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.