Wisconsin’s Week 11 trip to Maryland sets up as one of the more interesting road spots on the 2026 schedule, and not just because it comes late in the year.
The Badgers will head to SECU Stadium in College Park on Saturday, Nov. 14, with kickoff and TV details still to be announced. Maryland is coming off a 4-8 season, and the Terps have now gone 4-8 overall and 1-8 in the Big Ten in each of the past two years.
That slump followed three straight bowl trips, and it leaves Mike Locksley entering his eighth season with plenty to prove. Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell is in a similar spot, making 2026 a pivotal year on both sidelines.
One thing Maryland does have is a promising young quarterback. True freshman Malik Washington started all 12 games in 2025 and finished with 273 completions for 2,963 yards and 17 touchdowns. He ranked among the Big Ten’s top five in completions and passing yards per game at 246.9, which gives the Terps a real centerpiece on offense.
Maryland also went into the transfer market to help fill a key hole. Chris Durr Jr. arrived from Wyoming after leading the Cowboys with 45 catches, 469 receiving yards and four touchdowns. He’s expected to help replace Shaleak Knotts, Maryland’s leading receiver in 2025.
The Terps’ returning core is a big part of the picture too. Maryland brings back 14 starters - six on offense and eight on defense - which is tied for second most in the country. Washington headlines that group, and running back DeJuan Williams should have help up front from what looks like a solid offensive line.
The numbers from 2025 show why there’s still work to do, especially on defense. Maryland averaged 360.0 yards of total offense per game, good for No. 85 nationally, while allowing 402.1 yards per game on defense, which ranked No. 97.
There’s talent on that side of the ball, though. The list of players to watch includes Jordan Hall and Xzavier McLeod on the defensive line, Gabe Harris Jr., Quintavius Johnson and Raylen Wilson at linebacker, and KJ Bolden in the secondary.
For Wisconsin, this is the kind of game that can’t be taken for granted. Maryland beat the Badgers 27-10 at Camp Randall Stadium in 2025, a result that flipped what had looked like one of Wisconsin’s more manageable games. This time around, there’s no reason to label any Big Ten matchup as automatic, but the Badgers do appear to have a real chance on the road if they can slow Washington.
ESPN’s FPI gives Wisconsin a 53.8 percent chance to win in Week 11.
Wisconsin’s 2026 schedule opens with Notre Dame on Week 1, followed by Western Illinois and Eastern Michigan at home, then road trips to Penn State, UCLA, Iowa, Maryland and Purdue, plus home games against Michigan State, USC, Rutgers and Minnesota.
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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
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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 🡒]