College football programs kick off Fall camps in less than a month. With the sport returning soon, BadgerBlitz.com dives into who Wisconsin will face on the field during the 2021 season.

Each preview breaks down the opponent, and looks at last year's stats and who's back (and not back) on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Plus, we also receive insight from those who cover the respective programs.

*Sept. 4 -- vs. Penn State

*Sept. 11 -- vs. Eastern Michigan

*Sept. 18 -- BYE

*Sept. 25 -- vs. Notre Dame (at Soldier Field)

*Oct. 2 -- vs. Michigan

*Oct. 9 -- at Illinois

*Oct. 16 -- vs. Army

*Oct. 23 -- at Purdue

*Oct. 30 -- vs. Iowa

*Nov. 6 -- at Rutgers

*Nov. 13 -- vs. Northwestern

*Nov. 20 -- vs. Nebraska

*Nov. 27 -- at Minnesota

Iowa brought home the Homeland Trophy for the first time since 2015 with its 28-7 win over Wisconsin last December. That eventually became the final game of the 2020 season for the Hawkeyes, who finished with a 6-2 mark.

Production in the backfield returns for Iowa at quarterback and running back, though it will need to replace a couple of key cogs on offense. The Hawkeyes' defensive line will also need to see others step in to roles filled by a couple of NFL-bound standouts.

*Record: 6-2

*Points per game: 31.8

*Opponents points per game: 16.0

*Rushing yards per game: 171.0

*Opponents rushing yards per game: 107.6

*Passing yards per game: 197.6

*Opponents' passing yards per game: 206.1

*Third-down conversions: 33.6%

*Opponents' third-down conversions: 66.7%

*Total turnovers created: 18 (11 interceptions, seven fumble recoveries)

*Total turnovers given up: 9 (five interceptions, four fumbles)

*Sacks: 22

*Sacks allowed: 11

Running back Tyler Goodson ran for 106 yards on 11 carries against Wisconsin last season, which included an 80-yard touchdown run that all but sealed the victory in Iowa City. Overall, he ran for 762 yards on 5.3 yards per carry and seven touchdowns, finishing fourth in the Big Ten in yards per game (95.3).

Quarterback Spencer Petras threw for over 196 yards per game, but completed just 57.1% of his passes on way to nine touchdown passes and five interceptions. The signal caller will not have wide receivers Ihmir Smith-Marsette (25 receptions, 345 yards, four touchdowns) and Brandon Smith (23, 231, two) to throw to, but tight end Sam LaPorta (27, 271, one) returns.

An offensive line that needs to replace tackle Alaric Jackson will see All-American center Tyler Linderbaum come back for 2021. There could be some Wisconsin flavor in this front with Badger State natives Jack Plumb and Cody Ince competing for spots.

*Key returners: RB Tyler Goodson, QB Spencer Petras, TE Sam LaPorta, C Tyler Linderbaum (2020 PFF Grade 91.5), OL Cody Ince (2020 PFF Grade 75.8), OL Jack Plumb (2020 PFF Grade 74.9)

*Key additions: N/A

*Key departures: WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette, WR Brandon Smith, OL Alaric Jackson (2020 PFF Grade 74.4), RB Mekhi Sargent

Iowa returns its interceptions leader from a year ago (defensive back Jack Koerner with three), along with defensive lineman Zach Van Valkenburg. The latter placed tied for second on the team in tackles for loss (8.5) and third in sacks (3.5) last year. He also recovered four fumbles.

However, this unit will need to replace its co-leading sack artists -- defensive linemen Chauncey Golston and Daviyon Nixon) -- and leading tackler Nick Niemann (77 stops in 2020). How Iowa restocks its front seven will be intriguing to watch, especially when the Hawkeyes and Badgers clash on Homecoming weekend in Madison.

*Key returners: LB Seth Benson, LB Jack Campbell, DB Matt Hankins, DB Jack Koerner, DB Riley Moss, DL Zach VanValkenburg

*Key additions: N/A

*Key departures: DL Chauncey Golston, LB Nick Niemann, DL Daviyon Nixon

Tom Kakert from The Hawkeye Report, our Rivals.com cousins who cover all things Iowa athletics, answered a few of our questions before fall camp starts.

What is the position to watch during fall camp?

I think there are a couple of positions to watch during fall camp and they are both along the line of scrimmage.

Iowa graduated three of their four starters along the defensive line, so there’s plenty of holes to fill and the players looking to do it are low on experience. The good news for Iowa is they have second team All-Big Ten defensive end Zach VanValkenberg returning. But, with the rest of the group there are zero starts and a true sophomore who played defensive end last year is moving inside.

John Waggoner will be the main pass rusher opposite VanValkenberg, and he’s a solid player who has patiently waited for his opportunity. Joe Evans is probably Iowa’s third defensive end and he’s more of a pass rush specialist. At defensive tackle, Noah Shannon is a sturdy veteran in the middle and Yahya Black is potentially Iowa’s next start defensive lineman, but he’s going to take some time to adjust moving from end to tackle.

Then along the offensive line, there are plenty of candidates and talent, but a lot of moving parts right now. Two things are for sure. One is All-American Tyler Linderbaum will be at center and veteran Kyler Schott will be at left guard. More than likely, Wisconsin native Jack Plumb will be at left tackle. He looked comfortable there this spring after making a couple of starts last year. At the other tackle position, it appears to be wide open. It could go to another Wisconsin native, Cody Ince or perhaps Nick DeJong or maybe even Mason Richman. There’s a possibly that Ince, Richman or Justin Britt end up at right guard.

Entering fall camp, who could be a surprise for the team?

That’s a good question. I think the player to watch for Iowa this year is Jack Campbell. The Iowa coaches have been incredibly high on him since he arrived on campus and he played at a true freshman. Last year, he missed some time early in the year due to a bout with mono, but once he got out there he shared time at middle linebacker with Seth Benson. Iowa decided to move Campbell to weak-side linebacker. Campbell has a bit of a Chad Greenway feel to his game and I think he’s going to thrive playing in space this year.

This season goes well if ...

You are going to get the same answer for both. The season goes well if Spencer Petras develops. Petras struggled early last year, losing the first two games of the season and throwing three interceptions, zero touchdowns, and he struggled with his accuracy on his passes. Petras has worked with a private quarterback coach since the end of spring ball and feels it has made a huge difference for him. If he can improve his accuracy from 57% last year to the mid 60s, which is his goal, then Iowa could be in line for a strong year.

This season goes off the rails if ...

Spencer Petras struggles. Now, to give him credit, in the final two games of the year, Petras threw for five touchdowns and only one interception. He made progress and got better as the season went along. But if he struggles with accuracy, then my sense is Kirk Ferentz will eventually have to make potentially look at other options under center.

*Thanks to Tom Kakert from The Hawkeye Report on confirming the key returners, additions and departures -- which were initially put together looking at last year's stats and PFF grades, along with the aforementioned linked articles.