Baylor’s path to a bowl game in 2026 could lead to a first-ever meeting with Wisconsin, and it would come with plenty of pressure attached.
The Sporting News’ Bill Bender projected the Bears to land in the Servpro First Responder Bowl on Jan. 2 against the Badgers, a matchup that would pit two coaches in need of wins against each other. Baylor head coach Dave Aranda is entering what the source describes as a make-or-break season, while Wisconsin’s Luke Fickell is also said to be squarely on the hot seat in Madison.
For Baylor, the prediction suggests a season good enough to clear the six-win mark needed for bowl eligibility, and perhaps even better. A Jan. 2 bowl slot would point to a team that may be pushing beyond that threshold.
Aranda has already tried to strengthen the roster, most notably by bringing in former five-star quarterback DJ Lagway, in hopes of getting the Bears back on track after three losing seasons in the last four years and just one bowl appearance over the last three seasons.
What would make a Baylor-Wisconsin bowl even more notable is the fact that the two programs have never played each other. And while Wisconsin has long been a Big Ten power, the source notes that under Fickell the Badgers have struggled to stay relevant in a conference now featuring Oregon, USC, and Washington.
A bowl meeting with Wisconsin would also be unusual for Baylor from a historical standpoint. Excluding UCLA and Washington, which were not in the Big Ten at the time, the Bears have faced just three Big Ten teams in bowl games.
That list starts with Indiana in the 1991 Copper Bowl, where the Hoosiers shut out Baylor 24-0. The Bears later met Illinois in the 2010 Alamo Bowl and lost 38-14. Their most recent Big Ten bowl matchup came in 2014 against Michigan State, a 42-41 Cotton Bowl defeat.
Overall, Baylor is 0-3 all-time against Big Ten opponents in bowl games. If Bender’s projection holds and Wisconsin ends up across the field, Aranda will be looking to finally break through that streak.
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