Phil Steele's 2013 Preseason All-Big Ten Team: 3 Badgers make 1st team

Phil Steele, aka "The Oracle" for his reliably accurate and informative college football magazines, released his 2013 preseason All-Big Ten team Monday morning. Three Badgers made the first team, including wide receiver Jared Abbrederis, tight end Jacob Pedersen and linebacker Chris Borland. In total, 12 Badgers were listed.

Related to Wisconsin, the most interesting selection to me is Melvin Gordon on the second team, ahead of James White. We've spent plenty of time discussing what 2013 might hold for the Badgers' two wildly talented running backs, and arguments have been made for both to be the No. 1 back. We've had White ahead of Gordon on our projected depth chart for this season since the spring started, though 1) that can obviously change by the fall and 2) the division of touches certainly isn't tied to the depth chart.

Some might argue that for all the praise writers have heaped on Wisconsin's ability to generate another dynamic one-two punch in the backfield -- Tom Dienhart of BTN.com recently tabbed the Badgers' running backs as the conference's top unit at the position, for instance -- either White or Gordon deserves to be a first-teamer. It's especially startling seeing a Northwestern running back get the nod over a Wisconsin back or, well, anyone else, and there's another talented second-team back in Ohio State's Carlos Hyde, too. I might put White or Gordon on the first team next to Abdullah, though Mark does have the numbers to support his case.

The rest of Steele's team seems relatively fair to the Badgers, as he rightfully highlights Abbrederis, Pedersen and Borland. Expect to seem Pedersen's name in particular mentioned throughout the summer as a viable breakout candidate among the nation's top tight ends. While none of Wisconsin's relatively young, unproven offensive linemen make the first team, guard Kyle Costigan and tackle Ryan Havenstein get second-team honors. I would've put guard Ryan Groy there as well for his proven versatility, for what it's worth.

Defensively, tackle Beau Allen gets rightfully-deserved second-team props. Safety Dezmen Southward is a third-team safety and you could fairly argue for a promotion. On the fourth team, end Ethan Hemer and linebacker Ethan Armstrong round things out for Wisconsin.

Again, this is just one writer's stab at an exercise that is generally meaningless. That said, did the Badgers get a fair shake here?

Steele's magazine is probably the best among preseason magazines, though, and it's a fantastic read for college football buffs of all ages and levels of fandom. The 2013 issue will go on sale June 18 at Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, CVS, Publix, Target, Walgreens and Walmart.