After the rough trip to Pasadena, Wisconsin gets a very different kind of test Saturday night in Camp Randall. No.
16 USC comes in at 6-1, and while Lincoln Riley’s team has not been flawless in 2026, it brings the kind of offense that can stress the Badgers in a hurry. Jayden Maiava is the centerpiece, and the source material makes clear he is the best quarterback Wisconsin will face all season.
That sets up a home game that can swing a few different directions.
The optimistic path starts with the atmosphere. Wisconsin returns home, shakes off the frustration of the UCLA loss, and turns the night setting into an edge.
In that version, the Badgers find a way to outlast USC in a game that looks nothing like last week’s Rose Bowl mess. The defense does just enough, Colton Joseph gives Wisconsin some answers both running and throwing, and Luke Fickell is more aggressive than he was a week ago.
It would not have to be pretty, but the Badgers could still force their way to a win the same way they did as an underdog against Washington in 2025. In that scenario, Wisconsin sneaks past USC 27-24.
The other end of the spectrum is uglier. The 2026 Badgers are still viewed as better than the 2025 group, but they also carry more issues than anyone wanted to see by the midpoint of the season.
The offensive line has not played like a Wisconsin line, the rushing game has lagged, the quarterback play has been wildly inconsistent, and the wide receiver production has been only modest. Even with a defense that has talent, there have not been enough game-changing moments to cover for those flaws.
That’s a dangerous mix against a Trojans team that is imperfect, but still more gifted. USC should be able to move the ball, and its defense has the athletes to make life difficult for Wisconsin.
In the worst-case version, the Trojans jump on the Badgers early, Maiava and the offense keep humming, and Wisconsin spends the night chasing the game without ever finding the right gear. Turnovers pile up, the home crowd gets restless, and USC walks out of Camp Randall with a comfortable enough win after a test that includes a few Wisconsin big plays but not nearly enough to change the result.
In Other News...
Wisconsin Already Faces A Tough 2027 Quarterback Decision
Wisconsin is already getting an early look at a quarterback market that figures to be anything but calm in 2027, and Colton Joseph is right in the middle of it. The Badgers are reportedly negotiating with Joseph after a season that has shown both promise and uneven stretches, a reminder that even when a team identifies a target, the next step is rarely simple in the transfer era.
Louisville, Nebraska and West Virginia are also working through their own talks with transfer quarterbacks who have put together successful seasons, which only adds to the competition Wisconsin will face. With so many programs expected to stay active and so many unknowns still hanging over the 2027 class, the Badgers may be forced to make a quick call in a market that could keep moving right up until the finish line. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin May Have A Defensive Problem Right Before USC
Javan Robinsons status is one of the bigger questions hanging over Wisconsin as it gets ready for USC, and the timing could hardly be less convenient. Robinson is listed as questionable on the injury report, and the Badgers have not disclosed any specific details about what he is dealing with. For a defense already bracing for a major test, any uncertainty around one of its important pieces adds another layer to the buildup.
Wisconsin figures to keep monitoring the situation as more injury report updates come in before kickoff, but for now the concern is obvious. Robinsons availability could shape how the Badgers handle USCs offense, and the closer the game gets, the more attention this status is likely to draw. In a matchup where every defensive adjustment matters, Wisconsin may be left waiting to see whether one of its key players can go. [Read more 🡒]
Phil Longo Is Reopening A Wisconsin Frustration At Sam Houston
Phil Longos first season at Sam Houston has already turned into a familiar kind of stress test for Wisconsin fans who watched him run the Badgers offense. Now in his second year with the Bearkats, Longo is sitting at 3-16 overall, and Sam Houston has stumbled to 1-5 this fall with its only win coming against Nicholls State. The latest setback came in a loss to New Mexico State, a result that has only deepened the sense that the program is still searching for traction.
As the losses pile up, the chatter around Longos future has started to pick up online, with some fans wondering whether Sam Houston might move on from him. There has been no official word on any change, and his contract still runs through August 2029 with a salary of $700,000 this season and annual raises built in. For Wisconsin observers, it is another reminder of how quickly Longos next stop has become part of a broader conversation about what went wrong, and whether this chapter is headed toward an abrupt end. [Read more 🡒]