Wisconsin’s first two weeks have left the Badgers sitting in a familiar place in the Big Ten conversation: somewhere between promise and frustration.
They’re 1-1 after a 41-13 loss to Notre Dame and a 36-9 win over Western Illinois, and that split has done a pretty good job of capturing the mood around the program. There are flashes of what Wisconsin might be able to become this season, but the inconsistency on both sides of the ball has been hard to ignore.
That’s not exactly shocking with a roster that features more than 30 new players, but the Badgers are already nearing the point where they have to start showing real progress. Conference play is only a week away.
In the broader Big Ten picture, Week 2 brought its share of shakeups, including some ugly losses that reshuffled the league’s pecking order. Inside NU at SB Nation rolled out its latest rankings, and Wisconsin landed near the bottom at No. 15.
The full order from that group: Indiana at No. 1, Ohio State No.
2, USC No. 3, Penn State No.
4, Oregon No. 5, Iowa No.
6, Michigan No. 7, Washington No.
8, Nebraska No. 9, UCLA No.
10, Northwestern No. 11, Maryland No.
12, Illinois No. 13, Minnesota No.
14, Wisconsin No. 15, Michigan State No.
16, Purdue No. 17 and Rutgers No. 18.
At the top, the ranking stuck with Indiana after the Hoosiers blew out North Texas and Howard and brought back a lot of proven talent. Ohio State was placed second despite the 24-23 loss to Texas, with the view that the Buckeyes and Longhorns both looked like two of the best teams in the country. USC came in at No. 3 because of an offense that has clearly popped early, even if there have been some concerns about defensive backups when they’ve been called on.
Penn State and Oregon followed, with Penn State’s slow start against Temple keeping the Nittany Lions from looking dominant and Oregon’s loss standing out because of the questions it exposed up front. Iowa and Michigan were next, both coming off close games against quality opponents. The note there was that Michigan could move past both teams as the season goes on, though the offense still has real issues to sort out.
A few teams clustered together in the middle of the list. Washington hasn’t looked especially sharp, Nebraska hasn’t really been tested, and UCLA needed late fourth-quarter surges to win both of its games. Maryland also belonged in that group, with Malik Washington giving the Terrapins a solid quarterback option and the team handling business through two weeks.
Illinois took one of the biggest hits in the rankings after a 31-27 loss to Duke as an 8.5-point favorite. That one stung even with Duke piling up 11 penalties and Illinois controlling time of possession.
Northwestern stayed ahead of Minnesota for now, largely because the Wildcats still haven’t been tested. Minnesota, meanwhile, took a rough home loss as a 1.5-point underdog against Mississippi State, and the expectation is that the Gophers slide after that result.
Wisconsin’s spot at No. 15 came with a nod to how the Badgers stacked up against Minnesota. The argument was that Wisconsin could even be considered ahead of the Gophers after looking more competitive, or at least equally competitive at times, against Notre Dame. Still, the two teams were placed together near the bottom.
The same writer’s personal Big Ten rankings had Ohio State at No. 1, followed by Indiana, USC, Oregon, Penn State, Michigan, Iowa, Maryland, Washington, Nebraska, UCLA, Illinois, Northwestern, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Purdue and Rutgers.
Now the league turns the page toward Week 3, with Wisconsin sitting at a crossroads and conference play right around the corner.
In Other News...
Wisconsin Could Lose A Key Commit As Pressure Builds On Fickell
The pressure around Wisconsins recruiting class has picked up in a hurry, and one of the more important names in the group is now getting attention from some familiar heavyweights. James Trey Roberson, a three-star safety committed to the Badgers, has drawn a new offer from Alabama while also hearing from Mississippi State and UCF, a sign that his pledge is being tested by a wider market than the one Wisconsin first had to navigate.
Roberson has not shut the door on a flip, and Alabama is expected to use a game-day visit to keep pressing its case. For Luke Fickell, holding onto the safety matters not just because Roberson is part of Wisconsins top-25 class, but because keeping committed players from being pulled away late has become part of the broader recruiting fight the Badgers are trying to win. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Basketball Just Caught A Big Ten Break At The Right Time
Wisconsins Big Ten path looks a little kinder on paper than it could have been, and in a league where the grind rarely eases up, that matters. The Badgers avoid road trips to Purdue, Nebraska and Michigan, which gives them a cleaner travel slate than many of their conference rivals and trims away some of the leagues toughest environments.
There is still work to do, of course, but the draw also gives Wisconsin repeated chances against Minnesota, Illinois and Iowa, three programs it has handled well lately. Add in a stretch during the student break and a West Coast trip that appears manageable, and the schedule sets up as the kind of break that can help a team build momentum before the Big Ten race gets tight. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Already Has An Early 2027 Recruiting Problem
Wisconsins 2027 recruiting class is still very much in the early stages, but one of its commits is already drawing outside attention. Three-star safety Trey Roberson, who is committed to the Badgers, recently picked up an offer from Alabama, and he is lined up to visit Tuscaloosa in two weeks for a game day event.
For Wisconsin, that adds a familiar early-cycle wrinkle to a class that is years away from signing day but not immune to pressure. The Badgers know how quickly a commit can become a target once bigger programs start pushing, and Robersons situation gives the staff another reason to make sure the on-field product this season helps reinforce the message around the future they are trying to sell. [Read more 🡒]