Wisconsin’s final tune-up before Penn State now has a kickoff window and a TV home.
The Badgers will face Eastern Michigan on Saturday morning, with the game set for Peacock as part of the 11:00 a.m. CT slate. Wisconsin joins Minnesota against Akron, Penn State against Buffalo and Ohio State against Kent State in that same kickoff block.
It’s a different rhythm for Luke Fickell’s team after opening the year with two evening games. Wisconsin comes into Week 3 off a 36-9 win over Western Illinois, a result that looked comfortable on the scoreboard but came with plenty of uneven stretches underneath it.
The passing game never fully settled in, especially after an injury to Colton Joseph limited him. Wisconsin did get some bright spots on the ground from Abu Sama, Darrion Dupree and Bryan Jackson, but there were also long stretches where the offense stalled out.
The defense had its own issues early. Western Illinois was able to move the ball on the ground and put together multiple 10-plus-play drives, with both its running backs and quarterback Kennedy McGill finding room. Wisconsin still controlled the game, but the first two quarters were not clean.
Eastern Michigan arrives in Madison having already faced a tougher early schedule. The Eagles opened with a 28-17 win over Sacramento Statae, then dropped a 27-21 game to San Jose State before losing 35-7 at Michigan State last weekend.
That trip to East Lansing exposed the run defense, which gave up 258 yards on 45 carries. The passing game also never really got going, with Noah Kim, formerly at Michigan State, finishing with 118 yards on 26 attempts.
For Wisconsin, Saturday is about getting sharper before the road trip to Penn State. Through two games, the Badgers have shown flashes on both sides of the ball, but inconsistency has kept those flashes from turning into a complete performance.
In Other News...
Wisconsin Fans Have A New Reason To Doubt Program Leadership
Wisconsins football program has been searching for signs of progress after a rough stretch, and athletic director Shawn Eichorst did not exactly calm the mood when he was asked how he plans to get the Badgers to the next level. His response was that Wisconsin is already at that level, a line that landed awkwardly for fans still looking at a four-win season and the kind of low attendance that usually signals something deeper than a bad bounce or two.
Eichorsts comment can be read a few different ways, but none of them make the moment any easier for a program trying to restore confidence. For a fan base that wants urgency, accountability and a clearer path forward, insisting the Badgers have already arrived sounds less like a plan than a shrug, which is why the reaction has been so sharp. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Fans Are Already Asking A Bigger Luke Fickell Question
Wisconsins opener against Western Illinois gave the Badgers a chance to settle in, but the early control did not stop the conversation around Luke Fickell from getting louder. Even in a game where Wisconsin flashed enough to start fast, fans and observers came away wanting more from the overall structure, the play-calling and the way the team was managed once the initial edge faded.
Fickell is in a spot where every week can feel like a referendum, and the next couple of games will only sharpen that pressure. Eastern Michigan is part of the immediate backdrop, but the bigger test is still ahead in conference play, where Wisconsin will need cleaner execution and a clearer identity if the scrutiny around the head coach is going to ease at all. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Just Got A Troubling Sign About Fan Confidence
A rough offseason for Wisconsin football got another stark data point when the school announced attendance of 65,274 for its 2026 home opener, the lowest figure for a Badgers home opener in more than 30 years. It comes on the heels of a 13.1% drop in season ticket sales for the 2026 season, a sign that the usual goodwill around Camp Randall has taken a hit as fans wait to see more consistent results.
Luke Fickell acknowledged the challenge and framed the response in familiar terms for any program trying to regain momentum: put a winning product on the field and let the numbers follow. For Wisconsin, the concern is not just one opening-day crowd, but what it suggests about the wider level of confidence in where the program is headed. [Read more 🡒]