Wisconsin Football: Badgers release depth chart for Guarenteed Rate Bowl

Things will look different for both the Wisconsin Badgers and Oklahoma State Cowboys when they take the field on the 27th, but that doesn't mean it won’t be a fun one! As it stands right now Oklahoma State is expected to be without 11 starters from their week 12 depth chart, and Wisconsin will be without at least four starters in Graham Mertz, Keeanu Benton, Nick Herbig, and Joe Tippmann.

Below is the latest depth chart Wisconsin has released for their contest on the 27th:

Obviously, the big change is at quarterback as Graham Mertz has entered the portal which means we’ll see Chase Wolf or Myles Burkett. Unfortunately for us, there isn’t much clarity from the depth chart other than that we’ll see both quarterbacks. If I had to guess, I would think Jim Leonhard and company are going to play Chase Wolf for a series or two as a nod to what he’s given to the program and then turn the reigns over to Myles Burkett. That is something I can understand. It would be a mistake to not let Burkett get most of the reps in this game but I can appreciate working a multi-year guy in as well.

Beyond the quarterback spot, there are some changes on the offensive line as Joe Tippmann is onto NFL draft prep. It appears Tanor Bortolini will get the start at center. From left to right the line appears that it will be Jack Nelson, Michael Furtney, Tanor Bortolini, Trey Wedig, and Riley Mahlman. All five of those players will be back next year so building some cohesion here would be good.

On defense, there are a couple of big changes with Keeanu Benton and Nick Herbig skipping the bowl game and prepping for the draft. Junior Gio Paez will get the start at nose tackle and Curt Neal will be the backup. At outside linebacker, it appears sophomore Kaden Johnson will get the start in place of Herbig.

In the secondary, things look a little different as it does look like Jay Shaw will play after it originally appeared that he would be prepping for the draft.

Overall, these changes are inevitable with the way college football is structured. Bowl games are now more of a spring game to see what you’ve got heading into the following season and personally, I don’t see anything wrong with that. I’m excited to see the likes of Burkett, Johnson, and others get a chance to compete and get us excited for next season.