Wisconsin is heading into its Week 1 matchup with Notre Dame without a public depth chart, and the explanation from the Badgers is drawing plenty of eye rolls.
According to the opening-week press conference, there will be no depth chart released for the Irish game because, “The in-season depth charts are based off the previous game's usage.” The explanation continued: “we made the decision not to speculate on this prior to the season.” The language also framed it as the SID’s decision, not the coaches’.
No depth chart showed up in today’s Badgers game notes either. UW Brand Communications said the call was made because: “The in-season depth charts are based off the previous game’s usage ... made the decision not to speculate on this prior to the season.”
That logic doesn’t really hold up. A depth chart is supposed to be a projection, not a rulebook.
It’s there to show who would be next in line if the starter can’t go or gets a rep off. Coaches can shuffle things however they want, but tying the whole thing to previous-game usage makes the explanation sound backwards.
Maybe there’s something more going on behind the curtain. Maybe Luke Fickell didn’t want to hand over a chart, and the SID was left to explain it however it could. Either way, the public-facing reason is hard to buy.
There is at least one possible defense: Wisconsin has a lot of newcomers and a bunch of position battles across the roster, so keeping that information quiet might help a little. But it’s not exactly a strong argument when Notre Dame is the No. 4 team in the country and probably focused more on its own roster than Wisconsin’s. The Irish did release a depth chart for the game, so there’s that.
Coaches have long treated depth charts like they’re some kind of secret weapon, even though the competitive edge is usually overstated. If the concern is that the opponent gets an advantage, just say that. It’s still a flimsy reason, but it makes more sense than claiming you need a game to happen before you can publish a depth chart.
For fans and media, the whole thing is simple: depth charts are useful, they make the program feel more open, and they help set the table for game week. More and more coaches are finding ways around releasing them, and it’s becoming a tiring trend.
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