Luke Fickell’s Wisconsin team gets a quick shot at redemption Saturday, and the pressure points are easy to spot. After the loss to now-No.
9 UCLA, the Badgers return home for a matchup with No. 16 USC, and the next two games - this one and Iowa - feel like the hinge of the season.
The math is simple enough. If Wisconsin can’t take one of these next two, it could be looking at a 4-4 record with a manageable stretch still ahead.
Lose the next two and then slip up in at least one of the final four, and it becomes hard to argue the program is in a significantly better place than it was a year ago. That’s the backdrop for Saturday’s game, and it makes the performance feel bigger than the ranking next to USC’s name.
The biggest question starts with Billy Edwards Jr. He does not just need to be better than he was against UCLA; he needs to be more than a runner with a passing game attached.
Against the Bruins, he ran for 71 yards on 3.9 yards per carry, but he completed only six of 16 passes for 66 yards. Those numbers are not going to carry Wisconsin against quality opposition.
And quality opposition is exactly what is coming to Camp Randall. USC arrives with Jayden Maiava, who is second in the country in passing yards, and that means Wisconsin is almost certainly going to need points - probably a lot of them - to stay in the fight.
Edwards has shown big-play ability through the air this season against lesser competition, but the Badgers need him to make USC respect the passing game from the start. He does not need a 300-yard afternoon, but he cannot miss routine early-down throws and leave the offense facing long third downs all day.
There was also a clear sense last weekend that Jeff Grimes and Fickell did not fully trust Edwards to damage UCLA through the air. His legs still matter, but if Wisconsin plays too cautiously against a USC offense that can score in bunches, keeping pace gets awfully tough.
This could be one of those games where Grimes and Fickell have to live and die with their quarterback. Edwards has had turnover issues this year, but playing not to lose instead of trying to score could let the Trojans take over.
Wisconsin’s defense also has a tricky assignment after a mixed showing against UCLA. Mike Tressel’s unit shut down one of the best run games in the country, holding Wayne Knight to 23 yards on 13 carries.
On paper, that looks like control. In reality, Ty Dieffenbach carved the defense up and led multiple scoring drives with a long field.
That’s the danger again this week. If the secondary gets out of position or leaves holes in zone coverage, Maiava is the kind of quarterback who can cash in fast.
Dieffenbach threw for 264 yards, but Maiava could do even more damage if Wisconsin has another shaky day against the pass. The Badgers do not need to pitch a shutout, but if the defense performs against USC’s passing game the way it did last Saturday, the final score could get ugly.
There is also the home-field factor to watch. Wisconsin does not control the start time, and if it did, it probably would not choose to play when the Brewers are also on. That sets up an interesting crowd Saturday, both in terms of how many fans actually show up and how they respond if the game turns choppy.
A few weeks ago, this three-game stretch was being framed by fans as season-defining. That still feels true, but the first step did not go well.
A win over USC or Iowa, and even a 1-2 mark in that stretch, might still be acceptable to most fans. Right now, though, there does not seem to be much excitement about what comes next after the UCLA loss.
Camp Randall should still be full, but it may not be forgiving. Wisconsin does not need to win this game to make the season meaningful, but it does need to look like a team that is turning a corner. That is why Saturday matters so much.
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 🡒]