One senses a little bit of trepidation from Wisconsin fans regarding LSU.

And not so much because the Tigers are a 10-point favorite and the No. 5 team in the country, while the beloved Badgers find themselves in the odd position of entering a season unranked.

It’s because LSU challenges Wisconsin at all its strengths.

For example:

  • Wisconsin is the program that prides itself on a physical running game, yet it’s LSU that led the nation in rushing last season and has a Heisman Trophy candidate at running back in Leonard Fournette. Les Miles, a Bo Schembechler disciple, runs a Big Ten-style offense as well as any Big Ten team (much to the dismay of a lot of LSU fans).
  • It’s Wisconsin that prides itself in its big, Midwestern offensive linemen, but the Tigers may have the game’s best big, Midwestern offensive lineman in 6-foot-7 center Ethan Pocic, an Illinois native who grew up a Green Bay Packers fan.
  • Wisconsin prides itself on defense, but LSU just stole away the Badgers’ defensive coordinator, Dave Aranda.
  • “Cheeseheads” pride themselves in out-tailgating anybody they play against. But this is LSU, where Cajuns are going to cook things you didn’t know were edible, drop some Tabasco on it, throw in some Bourbon Street-inspired shots to chase it and send you home happy. They aren’t intimidated by anybody’s tailgating scene.

So, if you’re a Wisconsin fan, you aren’t guaranteed to win any category this weekend. And that’s added up to a somewhat muted week ahead of their much-awaited opener against the Tigers.

Sure there’s excitement but also concern about some key pieces the home team has to replace. And concern about what LSU will bring to the table to challenge the Badgers.

Here’s what we are seeing:

Areas of confidence

  1. Because who LSU is playing in the opener, Wisconsin fans aren’t particularly worried about the Badgers not being in the preseason AP Top 25. “Best way to crack the Top 25? Beat LSU. End of story.” That from Twitter user @reinkej10.
  2. Wisconsin fans have confidence in their defense despite losing defensive coordinator Dave Aranda to the Tigers. With news out that Wisconsin would be without linebacker T.J. Edwards for the LSU game, Wisconsin fans brushed it off, saying it’s the deepest area of the team.

Areas of concern

  1. Attrition on defense is a real concern for some other Wisconsin fans. Said @NickGray44 on Twitter, “Is it crazy that I care more about the health of T.J. Edwards than the QB battle?” Edwards is Wisconsin’s leading tackler last season who will miss the LSU game with a foot injury. Without Edwards, the Badgers are without their top two tacklers from last season.
  2. Wisconsin fans seem to be taking a wait-and-see approach on two key additions to the product: New quarterback Bart Houston and defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox. Former QB Joel Stave always had his detractors, which makes the hopes you see for Houston that the fifth-year senior is “about the same” as Stave, less than ringing endorsements. As for Wilcox, most are reserving judgment on his coaching ability to after the former USC defensive coordinator has coached a few games for Wisconsin, hardly the confidence one would expect from a highly anticipated hire.