The preseason AP Top 25 didn’t do Wisconsin any favors, but it did give the Badgers a clear map for how they can climb back into the conversation.
They’ll open the 2026 season unranked, with no votes attached after missing a bowl game in back-to-back seasons. That leaves Wisconsin with a simple job early: win enough, and win convincingly enough, to make the AP voters pay attention again.
The schedule gives them a real shot at that, even if the opener is a monster. Notre Dame checks in at No. 4 and comes in with Heisman hopeful QB CJ Carr leading the way.
The Irish are a serious national title contender, and they’ll meet Wisconsin at Lambeau Field in Week 1. That’s a brutal way to start, but it also gives the Badgers a chance to make a statement right away.
A win there would turn heads fast and, as the source points out, likely push Wisconsin into the top 25 by Week 2.
What makes the path interesting is how manageable the rest of the slate looks by comparison. Outside of Notre Dame, Wisconsin has just three more preseason ranked opponents: No.
14 USC, No. 18 Penn State, and No.
22 Iowa. Minnesota is the only other team on the schedule that picked up any votes at all, and it got five.
That setup matters. Last year, the buzz around Wisconsin was how brutal the schedule looked.
This time around, the conversation is almost the opposite. If the Badgers are going to re-enter the rankings, they’ve got a lane to do it.
The early conference stretch could shape everything. Wisconsin goes to Happy Valley in Week 4 to open Big Ten play against Penn State, a tough assignment no matter the year.
The Trojans come to Madison on Oct. 24, and then the Badgers head to Iowa City on Halloween. That game against Iowa feels like the kind of matchup that could land under the lights at Kinnick.
There’s also a little schedule help buried in the USC matchup. The Trojans go to Penn State, then have a bye before coming to Madison.
But after playing Wisconsin, they host Ohio State the next week and then travel to Bloomington the week after that. That makes the Badgers a spot where USC could be looking ahead.
The key for Wisconsin is staying afloat through the ranked-heavy part of the calendar and handling the rest. Even if the Badgers lose to Notre Dame, that wouldn’t automatically sink them, especially if they keep it close.
If they follow that with a couple of non-conference wins, they’d be 2-1 heading into Penn State. The source notes that Penn State is in a soft rebuild under new head coach Matt Campbell, and that could give Wisconsin a chance to catch the Nittany Lions at the right time.
From there, the path is straightforward: steal one of those bigger games, avoid slipping outside them, and the rankings will take care of themselves. If Wisconsin can finish 2-2 or even 1-3 against the ranked teams on the schedule and handle everything else, a spot in the AP Top 25 by season’s end is well within reach.
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Luke Fickell said Mandells progress remains part of the conversation, and the timing gives backups Blake Cherry and Stylz Blackmon a chance to keep piling up work in a competitive camp setting. Wisconsin does not have the luxury of easing into the season with so much turnover on the line, so the next several practices will help show whether the depth chart is stabilizing or still has room to move before the Irish arrive. [Read more 🡒]