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 a 2021 opponent, including a review of last year's stats and who's back (and not back) on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Plus, we 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

Wisconsin started a winning streak last season with its 20-17 overtime victory over Minnesota to end the truncated 2020 campaign.

Head coach P.J. Fleck sees his program bring back some offensive playmakers to the field; however, a defense that gave up over 30 points and 415 yards per contest will need to improve for the Gophers to compete in the Big Ten West.

*Record: 3-4 (3-3 Big Ten)

*Points per game: 27.3

*Opponents points per game: 30.1

*Rushing yards per game: 191.9

*Opponents rushing yards per game: 207.1

*Passing yards per game: 199.1

*Opponents' passing yards per game: 208.7

*Third-down conversions: 47.7%

*Opponents' third-down conversions: 40.3%

*Total turnovers created: 7 (five interceptions, two fumble recoveries)

*Total turnovers given up: 7 (five interceptions, two fumbles)

*Sacks: 8

*Sacks allowed: 13

Minnesota returns many contributors from last season. First-team All-Big Ten running back Mohamed Ibrahim (1,076 rushing yards, 5.4 yards per carry, 15 touchdowns) led the conference in both rushing yards and per game average (153.7).

Tanner Morgan will be Minnesota's QB1 in 2021. He completed just 57.1% of his throws for 1,374 yards and seven touchdowns to five interceptions last season. He will have both Chris Autman-Bell (22 receptions, 430 yards, one touchdown) and Daniel Jackson (12, 167) to throw to, while fellow wide receiver Rashod Bateman heads to the NFL after being selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

The Gophers' offensive line returns starters Blaise Andries and John Michael-Schmitz. Daniel Faalele.will also be back after opting out of the 2020 season.

Key returners: OL Blaise Andries (2020 PFF Grade 82.5), WR Chris Autman-Bell, OL Daniel Faalele, RB Mohamed Ibrahim, WR Daniel Jackson, OL John Michael-Schmitz (2020 PFF Grade 82.9), QB Tanner Morgan, OL Sam Schlueter (2020 PFF Grade 74.4)

Key additions: WR Dylan Wright (Texas A&M), OL Karter Shaw (Utah State), WR Brady Boyd (freshman)

Key departures: WR Rashod Bateman, QB/TE Seth Green (Houston)

*Transfer Tracker: Minnesota's Seth Green enters portal

*Transfer Tracker: Former 4-star LB Itayvion Brown enters the portal

The Gophers bring back two of their top tacklers in 2020 this season -- linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin (54) and defensive back Tyler Nubin (41). On the defensive line, Boye Mafe led the team in sacks (4.5) and tackles for loss (5.5). No other player recorded more than 1.5 in seven games last year.

Cornerback Coney Durr (29 tackles, team-leading five pass breakups in 2020) leads a secondary that needs to replace Benjamin St-Juste, who became a third-round selection in the 2021 NFL Draft.

*Key returners: DB Coney Durr, DB Justin Harris, DB Jordan Howden, DL Boye Mafe, DB Tyler Nubin, DL Thomas Rush, LB Mariano Sori-Marin

*Key additions: LB Jack Gibbens (ACU), DT Val Martin (NC State), LB Braelen Oliver (torn ACL), CB Steven Ortiz Jr. (freshman), DT Nyles Pinckney (Clemson), CB Justin Walley (freshman)

*Key departures: LB Itayvion Brown (Michigan State), CB Benjamin St-Juste

Alex Carlson from The Gopher Report of the Rivals.com network answered a few of our questions before Big Ten Media Days and fall camp begin.

What is the position to watch during fall camp?

Two main ones would be wide receiver and cornerback. Wide receiver has Chris Autman-Bell returning; he is now a third-year starter and the unquestioned No. 1. Beyond that, Daniel Jackson showed some promise last year as a true freshman but only finished with 12 catches for 167 yards on the year. Now with Rashod Bateman moving on to the NFL, there are a lot of targets to go around and the team is wondering who may step up on the outside. Sixth-year former walk-on Clay Geary, redshirt freshman Michael Brown-Stephens, and Texas A&M transfer Dylan Wright are players to watch.

Cornerback returns Coney Durr, who will be in his fourth year as a starter. Similarly, he is the unquestioned best cornerback on the team. After him, it is a wide open competition amongst players without much experience. Phillip Howard played in 11 games two years ago and six games a year ago in backup duty and will have a chance as a redshirt senior to grab the role. Terell Smith started nine games as a true freshman but has struggled since, particularly in run support. Can he turn it around? Talented freshmen Justin Walley and Miles Fleming could push the former names for reps too.

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

True freshman Justin Walley is one that may surprise and even make a push for the starting cornerback spot. The Mississippi Player of the Year enrolled early in the spring and got rave reviews from teammates and coaches. Despite also making plays at cornerback, Walley also received a carry on offense in the spring game on a jet sweep. The talented newcomer seems to be making heads turn and I expect him to have some sort of a role this season for the team.

This season goes well if ...

The team improves defensively, particularly up front. The offense returns 10 starters including an All-American running back and a three-year starting quarterback, so they should move the ball effectively. Minnesota was 102nd in the nation against the run a season ago, averaging 206.7 yards per game on the ground against them. Clemson transfer Nyles Pinckney, NC State transfer Val Martin and ACU transfer Jack Gibbens will provide some much needed depth to the front seven. If they can sure things up front, Minnesota should have a good season.

This season goes off the rails if ...

Minnesota can't find consistency in the secondary. Beyond Durr, the second cornerback position is wide open with not much experience. It still wouldn't surprise me to see a late transfer addition to this room. Both of the safeties, Tyler Nubin and Jordan Howden, struggled a year ago against both the run and the pass. While I expect both of them to be improved, last season the Gophers had two solidified corners, including Benjamin St. Juste who got drafted in the third round. Now, with an inexperienced corner on the other side, the two safeties are going to have even more pressure on them.

*Thanks to Alex Carlson from The Gopher Report for 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.