By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Habits are hard to break, because by the time something becomes a habit, it’s been repeated so many times that you can't stop doing it.

You get so used to doing something that it’s hard not to do whatever it is, from smoking cigarettes to picking your nose to picking the Wisconsin football team to win the Big Ten West Division.

It’s hard not to pick Wisconsin to defend the Big Ten West Division title because it almost always defends the West Division title.

The Badgers have appeared in five Big Ten Championship games in the last seven seasons, the two exceptions being Iowa in 2015 and Nebraska in 2012.

Wisconsin also has won five of the last six games against Iowa and hasn’t lost at Kinnick Stadium since 2008.

“It’s kind of boring,” said Mitchell Light, Executive Editor for Athlon Sports, which released its preseason all-Big Ten picks on Wednesday. “But Wisconsin was really good last year and they finished strong. They played well in the bowl game.

“It’s hard to pick against them at this point.”

Wisconsin is coming off a season in which it won 13 games for the first time ever. The lone blemish was a 27-21 loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championships game. But the Badgers bounced back to defeat Miami (Fla.) 34-24 in the Orange Bowl.

Many of Wisconsin’s key players also return, including star running back Jonathan Taylor, quarterback Alex Hornibrook and all five starters from a rock-solid offensive line.

And don’t forget about the Badger defense, which held Iowa to just 66 yards during a 38-14 victory last season in Madison, Wis. Some key players also return from that unit, along with fourth-year head coach Paul Chryst, who quietly goes about his business.

Chryst wasn’t considered a huge hire when he came from Pittsburgh, but he seems to be the perfect fit with the always-present Barry Alvarez as his athletic director.

Wisconsin and Iowa are similar in many ways, including playing styles as they both rely heavily on power rushing attacks combined with enough passing to sustain balance.

The Badgers have been a force ever since Alvarez, a former Iowa assistant under Hayden Fry, rebuilt the program in the early 1990s with help from two other former Iowa assistants, Dan McCarney and Bernie Wyatt, both of whom also played for Iowa.

Wisconsin has basically been a better version of Iowa for a while now.

“I think that’s fair to say,” Light said. “It’s maybe outdated, but prototypical Big Ten, not all the teams play that way anymore. But when you think historically of the Big Ten, you think of the way Iowa and Wisconsin kind of go about their business.

“Iowa has had its moments in the past under Kirk Ferentz where they’ve had some great years. But for the most part, Wisconsin has clearly been the more consistent program. “

So when it’s time to predict the West Division standings, you take into account Wisconsin’s consistency, its player development and its overall stability and you start there.

You also have to take into account Wisconsin’s 2018 schedule and that could present some problems. The Badgers had it pretty easy on the road in conference play last season with games at Nebraska, Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota, whereas this season Wisconsin will play road games at Iowa, Michigan, Northwestern, Penn State and Purdue.

“The thing about this year, their schedule is more difficult,” Light said. “So we’ve got them picked first, but with a projected 7-2 record.”

Athlon Sports picked Iowa to finish second in the West Division followed by upstart Purdue, Northwestern, Nebraska, Minnesota and Illinois.

Compared to Wisconsin, Iowa plays a more favorable schedule mostly because Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State aren't on Iowa's schedule. Iowa also gets Wisconsin and Iowa State at home.

But even with both schedules taken into consideration, it's still hard to pick against the Badgers.

Iowa won't have to wait long for a chance to avenge last year's humiliating defeat at Wisconsin with the teams scheduled to meet in the conference opener on Sept. 22 at Kinnick Stadium.

Junior tight end Noah Fant was the only Hawkeye to make Athlon’s first-team All-Big Ten squad, while junior defensive end Anthony Nelson was a second-team choice.

Fant led all FBS tight ends averaging 16.5 yards per catch last season and with 11 touchdown receptions. He also ranked second on the team with a career-high 30 receptions.

“He’s clearly one of the best tight ends in the country,” Light said of Fant. “There’s a lot that goes into being a tight end. But when you’ve got a guy who averages 16.5 yards per catch with 11 touchdowns, that’s absurd production. Usually tight ends average about 10 to 12 yards without scoring a ton.”

Nelson led the Hawkeyes with a career-best 7.5 sacks, fifth in the Big Ten, and totaled 41 tackles, including 9.5 for loss.

Senior center Keegan Render and senior kicker Miguel Recinos were named to the third team, and senior defensive lineman Parker Hesse and sophomore defensive lineman A.J. Epenesa were named to the fourth team.

Iowa junior quarterback Nate Stanley didn’t make any of Athlon’s four All-Big Ten teams despite throwing 26 touchdown passes and just six interceptions for an 8-5 team last season.

It’s hard to argue with the first two picks at quarterback where Penn State senior Trace McSorley is on the first-team and Michigan State’s Brian Lawerke made the second-team.

But to have Ole Miss transfer Shea Patterson on the third team before he even throws a pass for Michigan and Hornibrook on the fourth team despite his inconsistency are certainly cause for argument.

Stanley can use it as motivation because it’s definitely a sign of disrespect.

Iowa's 2018 schedule

Date, opponent, location

Sept. 1, Northern Illinois, Kinnick Stadium

Sept. 8, Iowa State, Kinnick Stadium

Sept. 15, Northern Iowa, Kinnick Stadium

Sept. 22, Wisconsin, Kinnick Stadium

Oct. 6, Minnesota, Minneapolis

Oct. 13, Indiana, Bloomington, Ind.

Oct. 20, Maryland, Kinnick Stadium

Oct. 27, Penn State, State College, Pa.

Nov. 3, Purdue, West Lafayette, Ind.

Nov. 10, Northwestern, Kinnick Stadium

Nov. 17, Illinois, Champaign, Ill.

Nov. 23, Nebraska, Kinnick Stadium