Football fans rejoiced last week as the college football season kicked off after a long, cold, sad, Big Ten Championship-rerun-watching offseason finally came to an end. If you can’t tell, I went through severe football deprivation for the last five or six months. I only watched Wisconsin demolish Nebraska five times, though. OK, it was seven, but don’t act like you didn’t too.

Now after filling the void with beer, reruns, the NFL preseason and fantasy football drafts, the pros finally take the field again this week. And since everyone at the University of Wisconsin bleeds red, you will want to keep tabs on former Badgers now playing on Sundays – or I guess Thursdays are a real thing now, too. Here is a list of UW alums poised for a big season with their respective teams.

J.J. Watt, Houston Texans

Wow, you’re really going out on a limb here, Spence. Yeah I know, no surprise here. Watt burst onto the scene last season at the defensive end, helping lead the Texans to a first-round victory in the playoffs. The Pewaukee native’s 20.5 sacks and 16 pass breakups earned him defensive rookie of the year honors along with a spot in the Pro Bowl and All-Pro teams. He also made a new BFF in Jon Gruden who coined the nickname J.J. “Swatt” on Monday Night Football.

In 2013, Watt will have a target on his back as one of the premier pass rushers in the league. His emergence will undoubtedly have offenses making large efforts to halt him at all costs. So Watt will have a harder time getting clean breaks to the quarterback but he already showed that he can disrupt the offense with his ability to bat the ball no matter how many people are blocking him. His numbers might not be as great as they were last year, but I have no doubt Watt will continue to be a dominating presence on the defensive line in Houston.

Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

Again, this was not really a hard choice here. Wilson baffled everybody by being able to throw over his offensive linemen in Seattle last season – oh, and being less than a minute away from an NFC championship berth. Wilson lead the Seahawks with the same super-efficiency Badgers fans grew fond of in 2011. He would have been a runaway winner of the offensive rookie of the year award last year had it not been a been a legendary season for rookie quarterbacks.

Working himself into the offense last season, Wilson will be set loose to prey on NFL defenses. He still has weapons like Marshawn Lynch and Sidney Rice to call upon and will have the super-versatile Percy Harvin at his disposal later in the season. The Wilson-led Seahawks are a sexy pick to advance to the Super Bowl this year. Playing in the suddenly threatening NFC West will make their quest to New York a little tougher than most, but with another year in the system, Wilson is prepped for another big year and deep playoff run.

Nick Toon, New Orleans Saints

Toon was drafted in the fourth round of the 2012 draft but missed the entire season after a foot injury landed him on the injured reserve list. Now the Middleton native is set to line up alongside fellow receivers Marques Colston and Lance Moore. Toon is likely to be the No. 3 receiver starting the 2013 season, but with Drew Brees throwing the football, as long as he is on the field, his chances to make a big impact are increasing.

Montee Ball, Denver Broncos

After Denver made Ball the third running back taken in the 2013 NFL draft, the NCAA touchdown record holder instantly joins a team loaded with talent. The rookie starts the season second on the depth chart behind Ronnie Hillman but the Broncos will likely give Ball plenty of playing time after spending their second round pick on him. Ball will have the advantage of growing under the tutelage of future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning as well, benefiting from an extremely skilled wide receiver core that will open the middle of the field for Ball to run wild.

The only hesitation with Ball is the fact that he is on a team with so many weapons that he might get lost in the shuffle a little. Also, there’s the poor track record that Wisconsin running backs have had in the NFL, not that Ball has anything to do with that. As the season progresses, it’s likely Ball will gradually become a key cog in the precise machine that is the Denver offense.

Travis Frederick, Dallas Cowboys

Frederick was one of the most talked about and scrutinized first round picks in this year’s draft. For that reason, the center will have a lot of people waiting to critique his every move. It appears Frederick will be Dallas’ starting center when it takes the field with the New York Giants Sunday. He will be an interesting storyline to follow this season. I look forward to seeing how he will handle the pressure of being a first round pick and starting right out of the gate for one of the most talked about teams in the NFL.

Which former Wisconsin player are you looking forward to watching in the NFL this season? Let him know at [email protected].