BY ANDY BAGGOT

UWBadgers.com Insider

MADISON, Wis. — There's a 72-day gap between the end of the last Wisconsin football season and the start of a new one.

That's a long, painful void for many Badgers fans, but a bit of help is on the way.

UW last played Dec. 30 when it capped a school-record 13-win season with a 34-24 triumph over Miami in the Orange Bowl.

The Badgers finally return to the field Tuesday when spring practice starts laying the groundwork for the annual Cardinal and White scrimmage on April 13 and the 2018 season opener vs. Western Kentucky at Camp Randall Stadium on Aug. 31.

?? Mark your calendars now: ?? Spring Football Game ?? April 13 at 6 PM $5 tickets on sale now: ?? http://goo.gl/rdeZdg #OnWisconsin || #Badgers — Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) March 7, 2018

A lot of great storylines wait to be written about UW, which should be a consensus top-10 team in the major preseason polls. All but two primary starters return on offense, but the defense lost eight front-line players and must be retooled.

Here are 11 items to consider about the Badgers in 2018:

1. The company you keep: UW has won 10 or more games for a program-record four consecutive seasons (11-3, 10-3, 11-3 and 13-1). The only other Football Bowl Subdivision schools with four straight 10-victory seasons entering 2018 are Alabama (10 straight), Clemson (6) and Ohio State (6).

2. Taylor-made objective: Tailback Jonathan Taylor made history as a true freshman, rushing for more yards than any first-year back in NCAA history with 1,977. Can he top that? Taylor would be the first ball-carrier to follow up a 1,000-yard debut with a 2,000-yard performance in his second season. There have been 30 2,000-yard rushing seasons in NCAA history (bowl games included) and three have been produced by sophomores: Lorenzo White of Michigan State had 2,066 in 1985, J.J. Arrington of California had 2,018 in 2004 and Christian McCaffrey of Stanford had 2,019 in 2015. None of those topped 1,000 yards rushing as freshmen.

Step 1: W?i?n?t?e?r? ?C?o?n?d?i?t?i?o?n?i?n?g? Step 2: Spring Practice Step 3: Fall Camp Step 4: Kickoff #OnWisconsin — Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) March 9, 2018

3. Big-picture view: The Badgers are heading into their 130th season of college football. They have 697 wins all-time dating back to 1889 (697-490-53, .583) and can become the fifth Big Ten Conference team to reach 700.

4. Specialist indeed: Kicker Rafael Gaglianone enters his senior season within reasonable distance of two NCAA records. He has made at least one field goal in 38 career games, and the record is 45 by Blair Walsh of Georgia from 2008 to '11. Gaglianone also has kicked a field goal in 19 consecutive outings and the standard is 31 by Kevin Kelly of Penn State from 2006 to '08.

5. The stat that matters most: Entering his junior year, Alex Hornibrook has a chance to become the all-time winningest quarterback in program history before the upcoming regular season is over. He's currently 20-3 (.870) as a starter. The UW record is 31 wins by Joel Stave from 2012 to '15.

Stronger ?? Faster ?? Higher ?? The path to the @NFL continues This year, we'll be bringing our Pro Day to you live on Facebook. — Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) March 8, 2018

6. Because you might be wondering: The Badgers have never finished a season with more pass attempts than rushes in the modern era (going back to 1946). It was worth checking because, while Taylor is a lethal threat in the run game, UW returns a deep, explosive and gifted receiving corps, a veteran quarterback and all five starters on the offensive line.

7. Oh, by the way: Wisconsin is perhaps best known for its running game and tailbacks, but seven of the top 10 single-season passing totals in program history have come with coach Paul Chryst calling the plays.

8. We don't rebuild: If you're worried about the eight starters lost on defense to graduation and the NFL, consider that UW is the only FBS school to finish in the top 10 in total defense in each of the last five seasons (second in 2017, seventh in '16, second in '15, fourth in '14 and seventh in '13). That consistency has endured through three defensive coordinators.

1?,?9?7?7? ?r?u?s?h?i?n?g? ?y?a?r?d?s? 1?3? ?r?u?s?h?i?n?g? ?t?o?u?c?h?d?o?w?n?s? M?a?x?w?e?l?l? ?A?w?a?r?d? ?s?e?m?i?f?i?n?a?l?i?s?t? "Last season is last season" Inside the Offseason: @23J_Taylor — Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) February 20, 2018

9. Some fresh names to ponder heading into spring practice: Junior college transfer Paul Jackson , whose length, athleticism and willingness to learn make the former wide receiver an intriguing prospect at outside linebacker; redshirt freshman Faion Hicks , whose development at cornerback last season got strong reviews from defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard ; and redshirt freshman Scott Nelson , who has added 13 pounds to his frame and whose quick evolution at safety is due in part to his friend and mentor, senior starter D'Cota Dixon .

10. You may never see that again: The oddest statistic from the 2017 season, perhaps all-time, is the fact that 21 different players scored touchdowns for the Badgers. Seven TDs came from defensive players and one came courtesy of a run by junior offensive tackle Michael Deiter . Strangely, the guy who handled the ball most on offense — Hornibrook — didn't cross the goal line.

Why did Michael Deiter choose to return for his senior season? 1) "I can always get better" 2) "I'm eight credits from earning a degree (@UWMadison)" 3) "Our offense is going to be unreal" — Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) February 26, 2018

11. Glad to have you back: It's not unusual to see first-team All-Americans bypass early entry to the NFL and return to UW. Tailback Montee Ball, tight end Travis Beckum, offensive tackle Joe Thomas, wide receiver Lee Evans, cornerback Jamar Fletcher and Heisman Trophy-winning tailback Ron Dayne are the most prominent. But having three first-teamers make that call for the upcoming season — guard Beau Benzschawel, offensive tackle David Edwards and inside linebacker T.J. Edwards — is a welcome bit of excess. It's especially heartening when you know that Deiter and Taylor were second-team All-Americans.