Brian Bennett, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Wisconsin Badgers season review

Our week-long review of every Big Ten team's 2014 regular season comes to its conclusion now with a look at the Wisconsin Badgers:

Overview: There was a whole lot to like and a little bit to regret from the Badgers' '14 campaign. This team won 10 games and soared to the Big Ten West Division championship by winning its final seven regular-season contests. Along the way, running back Melvin Gordon set records by the bunches en route to winning the Doak Walker Award and finishing second in the Heisman Trophy voting. The defense, despite replacing eight starters from a year ago, ranked at or near the top of the FBS statistically for most of the season. Now for the less positive: Wisconsin bobbled a chance to make a huge statement early, blowing a 17-point second-half lead against LSU in the opener. It lost a shocker to Northwestern that cemented its playoff also-ran status. The Big Ten title game turned into an embarrassing 59-0 rout by Ohio State. And then Gary Andersen left for Oregon State, marking the program's second coaching departure immediately after a Big Ten title game in three years. All in all, things were never boring around Madison this fall.

Offensive MVP: Who else but Gordon? The Big Ten's offensive player of the year has 2,336 rushing yards and 29 total touchdowns heading into the Outback Bowl against Auburn. Few will ever forget his epic 408-yard day against Nebraska. Every time Gordon touched the ball, you sensed something special might be about to happen.

Defensive MVP: For a long time this season, the Badgers' defense was a no-name unit, which was a reflection of both the lack of proven stars and how much everyone contributed to the overall effort. But the team's defenders gradually became more familiar, household names, especially at linebacker. All four starters there had excellent seasons, but Derek Landisch earned first team All-Big Ten honors and led the team with nine sacks and 16 tackles for loss. So he gets the slight nod here.

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