Normally, four days before the opener, I would have a pretty good idea of how things will go for the Badgers.

 Sure, there are always surprises, and injuries are the great unknown. But at least I would have a decent idea of the team's strengths and weaknesses.

 This year, not so much. I could blame it on watching only two scrimmages during fall camp. But the more I talk to the coaches, I'm not sure they know what to expect either.

 UW might be ranked No. 12 in the coaches' poll and No. 13 in the media poll. They've got 12 projected senior starters and 18 returning starters from the Outback Bowl. Those returning starters do not include tailback P.J. Hill and fullback Chris Pressley on offense. They have 18 starts between them. The defensive starters from the bowl game don't include cornerback Allen Langford, who has 31 career starts.

 So, how can a team with so much experience and such a high ranking have so many question marks? Good question. Injuries to several key returning players are a big part of it. So is a new starting quarterback who hasn't seen more than a couple minutes of meaningful playing time in almost three years.

 Remember strong safety and middle linebacker? Those were two areas on defense in the need of the most improvement, after last season. Yet neither spot makes my top five.

 How about the defensive line? That was the position everybody was in a panic about in the spring, when as many as eight players were out with injuries. I've got the normal questions about how senior Jason Chapman's knee and sophomore Kirk DeCremer's back will hold up, but I think that position will be OK. It doesn't make my list either.

 And there's a reason the Badgers don't list a back-up punter behind freshman Brad Nortman. It's because they don't have one. My guess is kicker Philip Welch might have to do it in a pinch. Backup punter isn't on the list either because, well, it's the backup punter.

 With all that in mind, here's how I would rank the five biggest question marks, going into the opener, in descending order:

 5, Receivers: There is a lot of raw talent here and plenty of options. Yet, I can't shake the memory of all those dropped passes in the spring and the two times I watched practice in camp. The only receiver to show any consistency was David Gilreath, who weighs 165 pounds and caught one pass last year. Maybe that means this group will have lots of contributors. Or maybe it means it will be maddeningly inconsistent.

 4, Tight end Travis Beckum's hamstring injury: This one could easily move up near the top of the list if it lingers much past the first game. It's not a good thing when your best offensive player did nothing in the spring after shoulder surgery and almost nothing in fall camp due to a hamstring injury. The offense can't afford to have him at less than 100 percent.

 3, Quarterback Allan Evridge: Maybe he'll take the job and run with it, like Tyler Donovan did last season. Evridge certainly has the ability. Most of my impressions of him were formed in the spring, when I got to see him the most. He was billed as a dual-threat quarterback, who ran and threw equally well. Maybe  I was spoiled by Donovan's running. Evridge has decent speed but has never looked like a fluid or natural runner. He definitely has a strong arm and throws a nice tight spiral. But I'm not sure about his accuracy. He seems bright enough. Yet he also seems to overthink things at times. The quarterback battle is closed for now, but I'm not sure if it will stay that way.