Wisconsin’s Week 10 trip through the 2026 schedule brings Rutgers to Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 7, and the matchup sets up as one of the clearer swing games on the slate. ESPN’s FPI gives the Badgers a 72.0 percent chance to win, and that lines up with how the Scarlet Knights look on paper heading into the season.
Rutgers is coming off a 5-7 finish in 2025, and Greg Schiano’s second stint in Piscataway - which began in 2020 - has delivered two winning seasons, both 7-6 in 2023 and 2024, but no winning records in Big Ten play. Last season was a rough one by conference standards, with Rutgers managing only two league victories, against Purdue and Maryland. The defensive side of the ball also needs a reset after ranking among the worst in the country in 2025, and Travis Johansen arrived from South Dakota this offseason to take over that unit.
The offense does give Rutgers a few pieces to work with. Antwan Raymond is one of the top returning players in the Big Ten and was named one of 10 semifinalists for the Doak Walker Award in 2025.
The junior from Canada ran for 1,241 yards and 13 touchdowns on 244 carries last fall, and he also added 18 catches for 225 yards and two more scores. At receiver, KJ Duff stands out as a special talent at 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds, while the offensive line is expected to be solid.
Even so, Rutgers still appears to have a quarterback competition going, with Dylan Lonergan and AJ Surace battling for the job.
Defensively, the Scarlet Knights are leaning heavily on transfers to help steady things. Ty Morris comes over from Rice after earning All-AAC honors and is expected to anchor the unit in 2026.
He has played in 37 games with 17 starts and brings 153 career tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks to the table. Last season, Morris posted 88 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.
Malachi Davis, a Toledo transfer, is another name to know up front. Over the last four seasons, he has appeared in 28 games with 12 starts at defensive end, and in 2025 he finished with 36 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks, good for second on the team in both backfield categories.
Wisconsin has had Rutgers’ number for a while now, winning all six meetings dating back to 2014. The most recent matchup was a 42-7 Wisconsin win in Piscataway. With the Badgers looking to stay in the bowl conversation in 2026, this is the kind of game they’re expected to handle.
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Joe Brunner Is Becoming A Frustrating What-If For Wisconsin
Joe Brunners move from Wisconsin to Indiana this offseason is the kind of transfer that lingers with a fan base, especially after a down year for the Badgers. A player once expected to be part of the lines foundation is now lining up somewhere else in the Big Ten, and the early signs in Bloomington suggest he is finding a different kind of fit.
At Indiana, Brunner has stepped into a more vocal leadership role on the offensive line, something he did not fully embrace in Madison. Curt Cignetti has made a point of pushing older transfers into those kinds of responsibilities, and Brunner appears to be responding to that approach in a way Wisconsin never quite saw. For the Badgers, it only adds to the frustration of wondering what might have been if that version of him had surfaced earlier. [Read more 🡒]
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One of the brighter offensive moments came from JUCO transfer tailback Juju Pope, who broke loose for a long touchdown with the second-team offense. Even so, the defense had the louder answers overall, with Posa coming through on one of the most disruptive plays of the day by knifing into the backfield on a jet-motion look and blowing it up before it could get started. For an offense still sorting itself out, it was a useful reminder that camp progress often looks more like resistance than comfort. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Fall Camp Is Setting Up Some Big Starting Job Fights
Fall camp is underway in Madison, and the early days have already put Wisconsins roster in a familiar spot for August, with competition everywhere and no shortage of jobs to sort out before the opener against Notre Dame. Wide receiver, cornerback, tight end and guard are all in play, and the Badgers are leaning on a mix of transfers and returning players as they begin to piece together the depth chart for a season that will demand answers quickly.
The most interesting part of camp is not just who is practicing, but which players are starting to separate themselves as the staff evaluates the first units and the key contributors behind them. There is a real sense that several of these battles could shape how the offense and defense look once the games count, and a few spots already have the feel of decisions that may not be settled until camp is deep into its final stretch. [Read more 🡒]