The Big Ten is finally back to a sense of normalcy with a full 12-game slate.

And right now, the Big Ten West is Wisconsin’s to lose.

Sure, the Badgers had an up-and-down year in 2020-21. A 4-3 record (with three games canceled because of COVID-19) doesn’t make a good case for Wisconsin to come back and win the west.

But in 2021-22, without major COVID-19 protocols hindering the Badgers, Wisconsin is a complete unit — headlined by sophomore quarterback Graham Mertz.

Mertz was saddled into the starting quarterback position with essentially no training in 2020-21 as former Badger Jack Coan (now at Notre Dame) suffered a foot injury shortly before the season started.

He impressed in his first-ever collegiate game, going 20-for-21 with five touchdowns in the Badgers’ 45-7 routing of Illinois. But Mertz was lackluster the final six games, finishing 2020-21 with a total of nine touchdowns and five interceptions.

But the former four-star recruit had serious hype coming into Wisconsin for a reason.

After a full spring and summer practice — something he didn’t get last season — Mertz should be primed to return to form and live up to the Badgers’ high expectations.

The No. 12 Badgers will play host at Camp Randall for seven games this season. Wisconsin’s most tantalizing game will be against No. 9 Notre Dame at Soldier Field in Chicago.

Other than the Fighting Irish, the Badgers should have a cakewalk of a season. A very realistic 11-1 Badger record will land Wisconsin in Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship game.