Wisconsin is sitting on the edge of another bowl berth, and ESPN’s latest projections have the Badgers lined up for a heavyweight matchup if they get there.
At 5-2, Luke Fickell’s team has put itself one win away from securing its second bowl game under the head coach. His first full season was the only other year Wisconsin reached the postseason under the man who previously guided Cincinnati to the College Football Playoff.
The Badgers have built that position with a resume that includes wins over Penn State and USC, plus a Big Ten victory against Michigan State. Their other two wins have come outside the conference against Western Illinois and Eastern Michigan.
In ESPN’s bowl outlook, Wisconsin is projected to face either No. 10 Alabama or No. 11 Texas.
If the projection lands on Alabama, Mark Schlabach has the Badgers and Crimson Tide meeting in the Liberty City Music Bowl. Wisconsin has played Alabama four times and is 1-3 in those games, with its only win coming in 1928. The last three meetings were all losses for the Badgers, by scores of 35-17, 42-10 and 38-14.
Wisconsin’s lone trip to the Music City Bowl also didn’t go its way, ending in a 28-14 loss to Auburn on New Year’s Eve in 2003.
If the matchup comes out as Texas, Kyle Bonagura projects the Badgers for the ReliaQuest Bowl. Wisconsin and Texas have met only once before, with the Longhorns winning 17-7 in 1939.
In Other News...
Wisconsins Brutal Finish Just Put Luke Fickell In The Spotlight
Wisconsins path to the College Football Playoff is still technically alive, but it is hanging by a thread after a rough stretch has left the Badgers needing a near-perfect run to stay in the conversation. ESPNs FPI gives Wisconsin a 9.8% chance, and the math is simple enough from here: the Badgers are 5-2 and would have to sweep the rest of the schedule to keep any realistic playoff hopes intact.
The problem is the schedule does not offer much breathing room, with Iowa, Rutgers, Maryland, Purdue and Minnesota still ahead. Even with the team sitting in a decent position overall, the more likely finish appears to be three or four more wins, which would leave Luke Fickell and his program with plenty to sort through as the season winds down. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Just Suffered The Kind Of Loss That Changes Everything
A 30-0 loss to Iowa on Oct. 31 did more than hand Wisconsin a bruising defeat, it knocked the Badgers out of the AP Top 25 and left the program searching for answers on both sides of the ball. The game never found much rhythm for Wisconsin, which was undone by poor time of possession, turnovers and penalties while Iowa controlled the flow with sustained drives that kept the Badgers on the back foot.
Colton Josephs rough night ended with a benching, adding another layer to a loss that already felt like a turning point. Wisconsins defense could not get off the field, the offense never settled in, and the kind of one-sided result that lingers well beyond one Saturday now leaves the Badgers facing a much different conversation about where the season goes from here. [Read more 🡒]
Luke Fickell Just Made Wisconsins Iowa Problem Feel Even Worse
The latest loss to Iowa only deepened the sense that Wisconsins problems in this rivalry are becoming more than a one-game issue. The Badgers were shut out again, and under Luke Fickell, the gap has only looked wider when these teams meet. Fickell called it a decisive defeat and did not have an immediate explanation for why his team keeps running into the same wall against the Hawkeyes.
For Wisconsin, the concern is no longer just the scoreboard on one Saturday. The offense has struggled badly in these matchups, and each flat performance adds more pressure around a program that expected a quicker climb under Fickell. When the same opponent keeps exposing the same flaws, questions about the direction of the team and the coachs standing only get louder. [Read more 🡒]