Wisconsin has already punched its ticket to bowl season after last Saturday’s win over Rutgers, but the real question now is which destination awaits the Badgers and what kind of matchup comes with it.
That answer still depends on how Wisconsin handles the final stretch. A 3-0 finish, a 0-3 slide, or something in between could all reshape the picture. For now, the projections are starting to come in, and they point in a few different directions.
CBS Sports has Wisconsin headed to the Pinstripe Bowl against Pitt. That game, played in Yankee Stadium, has long carried the feel of a novelty matchup built as much for TV as for anything else.
Last season, it was Penn State against Clemson, and both teams finished with seven wins. It’s not exactly the kind of bowl Wisconsin fans are hoping for.
RotoWire sees the Badgers in a similar tier, projecting Wisconsin to face Louisville in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. That one brings its own image with it, whether it’s PJ Fleck getting drenched in mayo or Graham Mertz breaking the glass trophy back in 2020. Like the Pinstripe Bowl, it’s usually home to six- or seven-win teams.
A few projections are a little more optimistic. Athlon Sports has Wisconsin in the Music City Bowl against Oklahoma, and that game is set for December 30. It’s generally viewed as one of the stronger bowls outside the CFP picture, and last season it featured Illinois and Tennessee, two eight-win teams.
ESPN is on the same track. Both Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach project Wisconsin to the Music City Bowl, though they split on the opponent.
Bonagura has the Badgers facing Ole Miss, while Schlabach has South Carolina. Either way, ESPN’s projection places Wisconsin in a more appealing postseason spot in Nashville.
College Football News goes even higher, slotting Wisconsin into the ReliaQuest Bowl against Tennessee. That game is one of the better non-CFP bowls in the sport and is played on New Year’s Eve. Last season, it matched an 8-win Iowa team with a 10-win Vanderbilt team, and CFN’s projection suggests Wisconsin could finish in the eight- or nine-win range.
In Other News...
Wisconsin Heads To Maryland With One Huge Question About Ryan Hopkins
Wisconsins trip to Maryland brings a familiar backdrop from last season, when the Badgers dropped their Big Ten opener in College Park and watched true freshman Malik Washington steer the Terrapins with a strong showing. This time, the spotlight shifts to Wisconsins own freshman quarterback, Ryan Hopkins, who turned heads in his debut against Rutgers and has now earned another start from Luke Fickell as the Badgers try to build on that first impression.
Marylands defense has struggled nationally against the pass, which gives Wisconsin a chance to see how Hopkins handles a different kind of road test. But the Terrapins are not without answers, because their quarterback and secondary have shown enough effectiveness to make this more than just a favorable matchup on paper. For Wisconsin, it is a useful early measuring stick, and for Hopkins, it is another chance to prove the debut was only the beginning. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Pass Rusher Sebastian Cheeks Is Forcing His Way Into Draft Buzz
Wisconsins defense has been one of the nations most productive units in 2026, and Sebastian Cheeks has been a big reason why. The outside linebacker has emerged as a disruptive force for the Badgers, leading the team in sacks while also ranking among the national leaders in total pressures, a sign of how much his game has sharpened in his final college season.
NFL draft buzz has followed quickly. Analyst Nate Tice has singled out Cheeks as a player whose performance is starting to look like that of a potential late first-round pick, which says plenty about the leap he has made this fall. For Wisconsin, it is another reminder that a defense built on depth and consistency now has a pass rusher drawing real attention from the next level. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsins Front Seven Just Gave Badgers Fans A Reason To Exhale
Wisconsins defense gave the Badgers a much-needed lift in a 31-10 win over Rutgers, and the front seven was at the center of it. The group piled up five sacks and eight tackles for loss, consistently making life difficult for the Scarlet Knights and helping keep the game on Wisconsins terms.
Sebastian Cheeks set the tone off the edge with a sack and three pressures, while Cooper Catalano was everywhere in the middle with a game-high 14 tackles. Rutgers quarterback AJ Surace was forced to work under steady pressure all afternoon, and the Badgers also did a solid job of limiting the ground game, the kind of performance Wisconsin can build on as the schedule tightens. [Read more 🡒]