Wisconsin’s new look for the Notre Dame game at Lambeau has already set the tone for a season that should have a little more variety in the uniform department.
The Badgers rolled out red helmets for the first time since 2014, and the combination gave the opener a different feel than Wisconsin’s usual steady diet of red tops, white pants and white helmets. The uniforms, which are best described as Wisconsin’s version of the NFL’s color rush looks, also sparked a bigger question: what should the Badgers wear in each game of the 2026 schedule?
For the Lambeau matchup, the classic home uniforms would have been the choice if the decision were up to me. A game at such a historic venue feels like the right place for the standard red tops, white pants and white helmets with red facemasks.
The leaked version of the new uniforms drew plenty of skepticism at first, but seeing the full look on the players changed the equation. The red helmet is a welcome change, and the chrome numbers as a nod to the Lombardi Trophy are a strong detail. How it all looks once the game starts is still to be determined, but for now the alternate setup works.
After that opener, the safest move is to settle back into the basics. The home opener calls for the classic home look, especially after a week of wearing something new and unique. The same logic applies to the next home game, too - nothing about it feels like the place to force a bigger uniform statement.
Penn State’s navy and white doesn’t bring much flash of its own, which makes this one a natural keep-it-simple spot for Wisconsin. There’s an argument for red pants to add a little color, but the cleaner choice is to let the matchup stay relatively muted.
Homecoming and the Big Ten home-opener both point in the same direction: standard home uniforms. Michigan State has enough uniform combinations of its own, so Wisconsin doesn’t need to chase extra flair here.
The most fun call on the schedule comes at the Rose Bowl against UCLA. It’s not the Rose Bowl Game, but it is Wisconsin and UCLA in the Rose Bowl, and that’s reason enough to make the look fit the setting. The white-on-red combination would line up beautifully against the Bruins’ blue and gold and stands out as the most visually appealing matchup on the slate.
For a Red Out game, this feels like the right place to use it. The look isn’t my favorite, but if Wisconsin is going to use that crowd theme, a game that could be the biggest home matchup of the season makes sense.
At Iowa, the icy white look is the clear choice. Wisconsin’s slight tweak of white facemasks makes the all-white setup pop even more, and with Kinnick Stadium filled largely with black and the Hawkeyes in black helmets and jerseys at a minimum, the contrast should be sharp.
Late in the season, the old-school approach takes over again. For a November conference home game, the standard home uniforms are the pick. White facemasks with the red jerseys and white pants would be fine, but there’s no real need to get fancy.
The all-white look gets the nod again for mid-November, and it makes even more sense in cold weather. I prefer it to the standard white jerseys, white pants and red facemasks.
Purdue brings a different kind of matchup. Its black and muted gold doesn’t pop much, even if the Boilermakers have turned out some solid jerseys over the years. Because this is a longtime series rather than a trophy game, the throwback red pants feel like the right way to add some color.
And for Minnesota, there’s no debate in my mind. This is the most-played FBS rivalry, so Wisconsin should be in its standard home uniforms.
Let PJ Fleck’s team handle the flashy stuff if it wants. This is the one game where I’d be strongest about keeping the Badgers exactly as they are.
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Which New Badgers Will Decide Whether This Offense Finally Stabilizes
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The most useful part of the evaluation is how many of these transfers are already being slotted into starting or key depth jobs, because that is usually where a new offense either finds stability or keeps searching for it. A few names stand out as potential tone-setters, and the next layer of the story is how the staff sorts out the rest of the hierarchy behind them, especially in a room where one more decision could shape the depth chart for the entire season. [Read more 🡒]