Saturday night in Camp Randall Stadium carries real weight for Wisconsin, and the Badgers are trying to turn last week’s good feelings into something bigger against No. 16 USC.
A win would do plenty for Luke Fickell’s group. It would wipe away the sting of Week 7 in Los Angeles, give Wisconsin its first victory over a legitimately good opponent, and add another top-20 upset to Fickell’s 2026 résumé. A loss, though, would leave the Badgers sitting at 2-2 in Big Ten play and headed to Iowa City for a Halloween game that starts to feel like a must-win.
With the Trojans coming to Madison, here are three bold predictions for the primetime matchup.
First, Wisconsin’s run defense should make USC work harder than it wants to on the ground.
The Badgers just lived through a week of warnings about UCLA’s rushing attack, with Wayne Knight billed as the kind of back who could overwhelm the front seven. Instead, Wisconsin held the Bruins to 44 rushing yards through three quarters and 120 overall in a game that became mostly clock control late. Knight finished with just 23 yards on 13 carries, and UCLA averaged only 3.2 yards per rush.
The catch, of course, was Ty Dieffenbach. He completed 67% of his passes for 264 yards, and that was enough to swing the night away from Wisconsin. Still, the message from the front seven was clear: even the best rushing attacks can be brought down a notch.
USC brings two dangerous runners in King Miller and Waymond Jordan, but the Trojans’ ground game ranks only 77th nationally. Wisconsin sits one spot behind them, and both teams average 152 rushing yards per game. Miller has not been held below 45 rushing yards in any game this season, but that changes here.
Second, Colton Joseph should keep the ball out of USC’s hands through the air.
Joseph’s three-interception outing against then-No. 13 Penn State was rough, but he has settled in since then.
He has not thrown a pick in two straight games for the first time in his Badgers career. He has also put the ball on the ground twice, though neither fumble ended up in the defense’s hands.
USC’s numbers suggest another clean night is there for the taking. The Trojans have intercepted only three passes in seven games, and only 11 FBS teams have played as many games while picking off fewer. Their pass defense has also been vulnerable, allowing 239 passing yards per game, which ranks 110th nationally.
Joseph has been better about limiting the little mistakes, too. According to Pro Football Focus, he had eight turnover-worthy plays over Wisconsin’s first four games, then just one over the last two. If the Badgers are going to pull this upset, winning the turnover battle will matter, and Joseph looks capable of holding up his end.
Third, Wisconsin may keep riding a shaky offensive line combination longer than it should.
Under normal circumstances, this wouldn’t qualify as a bold call. But the Badgers have continued to stick with their current setup, and that became obvious in Pasadena when Stylz Blackmon was moved to center for the injured Austin Kawecki, even though Kawecki’s backup Ryan Cory had played well. That shuffle also pushed Wilkins into the lineup at right guard.
The bigger question is how long Wisconsin keeps treating Wilkins like a starter. He has now been tried at left tackle, right tackle and right guard, and none of those spots has gone smoothly.
Pro Football Focus has him with 12 pressures, the most on the team, and the tape has not made the picture look any better. In pass protection, he just has not shown the quickness to hang.
“It’s been a little bit difficult. When guys get dinged up, in particular Kawecki and moving Stylz back in there, we just felt like that was our best five," Fickell said this week. "We gotta find a way to make sure we have our best five up front every week.”
As of the Wednesday injury report, Kawecki was probable, which could send Blackmon back to right guard. That would at least give Wisconsin a chance to settle the line before the next kickoff under the lights.
In Other News...
Wisconsin May Have A Defensive Problem Right Before USC
Javan Robinsons status is one of the more notable injury-watch items hanging over Wisconsin as it gets ready for USC. Robinson is listed as questionable, and while the Badgers have not disclosed any specifics about what he is dealing with, his role on defense makes the uncertainty matter heading into a matchup where every healthy piece is going to count.
Wisconsin is still waiting on more injury-report updates before kickoff, and that leaves a real layer of tension around how the defense might look. If Robinson cannot go, it would be a meaningful blow to a unit that needs its best answers available against USCs offense, and the Badgers may not know exactly what they have until much closer to game time. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Already Faces A Tough 2027 Quarterback Decision
The Badgers are already in the thick of planning for the 2027 quarterback market, and Colton Joseph has emerged as one of the names worth watching. Wisconsin is reportedly negotiating with Joseph for that season after a mixed year, a reminder of how quickly the transfer landscape is forcing programs to make decisions well ahead of time.
Louisville, Nebraska and West Virginia are dealing with similar conversations as they sort through their own transfer quarterbacks after successful seasons, which only adds to the pressure. With the 2027 market expected to be busy and full of uncertainty, Wisconsins interest in Joseph is part of a much bigger race to line up the right answer before the window starts to close. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Gets USC At A Complicated Time In Madison
A tough November stretch has put USC in a position where every road game feels weighted a little differently, and the trip to Madison comes with plenty of moving parts. The No. 16 Trojans are heading into a key matchup against Wisconsin with their final five games looming, and they may have to sort through injury questions along the way. Tight end Mark Bowman and defensive tackle Jide Abasiri both remain questionable, adding another layer of uncertainty before a game that already carries plenty of significance.
Jayden Maiava has been one of the more impressive pieces of USCs season, and Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell made sure to acknowledge what the quarterback brings to the table ahead of the meeting. For the Badgers, it is another chance to test themselves against a ranked opponent at a time when the Trojans are trying to keep their momentum intact despite the strain of the schedule and the health concerns on the roster. [Read more 🡒]