With five regular-season games left, Wisconsin’s path has suddenly turned into something worth watching closely.
The Badgers, who missed out on bowl eligibility in each of the last two seasons, could clinch a bowl berth as soon as Saturday, Oct. 31. A win at Iowa would only sharpen the picture around Luke Fickell’s team, especially after Wisconsin already stacked up a win at Penn State and followed it with a lopsided victory over USC.
And the ceiling is bigger than that. In 2026, Wisconsin is not just chasing a bowl game. The Badgers have their sights on a Big Ten Championship appearance, and even the College Football Playoff is in play if the rest of the top 25 breaks their way and Wisconsin runs the table.
ESPN’s forecast for the rest of the schedule reflects that kind of finish.
Saturday, Oct. 31: 42.7% chance to win at Iowa
Saturday, Nov. 7: 90.0% chance to win vs. Rutgers
Saturday, Nov. 14: 81.5% chance to win at Maryland
Saturday, Nov. 21: 68.8% chance to win at Purdue
Friday, Nov. 27: 81.6% chance to win vs. Minnesota
ESPN projects Wisconsin to finish 9-3 overall and 7-2 in Big Ten play.
The Iowa number stands out, but that’s not a major surprise with the Badgers on the road. Wisconsin still brings plenty of momentum into that one, while Iowa is coming off a stunning loss to Minnesota.
The Minnesota line is the one that jumps off the page most. ESPN sees the Badgers as sizable favorites in that rivalry game, even though Minnesota has played well this season.
The other projected wins fit the shape of the schedule, though Purdue looks like the spot where Wisconsin has to stay sharp and avoid getting tripped up.
In Other News...
Wisconsin Gets A Huge Opening In Iowa Rivalry But One Problem Remains
Wisconsin heads into this weekends trip to Iowa with a chance to do something it has not done in four tries against its rival. Both teams arrive at 5-2, and the Badgers have built their case on one of the nations best run defenses, the kind of strength that usually travels well in a Big Ten game where possessions are precious and field position matters. Iowa, meanwhile, is coming off a loss and has already taken a hit to its backfield, giving Wisconsin a better opening than it might have expected in a series that has often tilted the Hawkeyes way.
Still, the matchup has the feel of another low-scoring slog, which helps explain why oddsmakers have only nudged Iowa ahead. The Hawkeyes remain built for defensive football, and that makes Wisconsins path clear in theory and frustrating in practice: survive the trenches, avoid mistakes and find a way to finally break the streak. The problem is that against Iowa, almost every possession turns into a test of patience, and the Badgers will have to prove their edge on the road before the rivalry turns in their favor. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsins Quarterback Carousel Keeps Raising An Uncomfortable Question
Since Luke Fickell took over, the quarterback spot at Wisconsin has been anything but stable, and the ripple effects have reached well beyond Madison. A string of departures and injuries has pushed the Badgers into constant turnover at the most important position on the field, while former Wisconsin passers have scattered to new programs in search of better fits and clearer paths to playing time. Braedyn Locke, Cole LaCrue, Mabrey Mettauer and Nick Evers are among the names who moved on, each landing in a different situation with different levels of opportunity.
For Wisconsin, the more uncomfortable part is how familiar this has started to feel. Some of those transfers have found modest success elsewhere, others have seen limited action, and the churn only reinforces how much the Badgers are still trying to sort out the position under Fickell. The current quarterback picture is no easier to project than it was a year ago, and with former options continuing to surface in other places, the question hanging over the program is not just who starts next, but when the revolving door finally slows down. [Read more 🡒]
Kentuckys New-Look Roster Just Got An Encouraging Preseason Sign
The preseason conversation around Wisconsins perimeter game got a little more interesting this week when data analyst Evan Miyakawa released a ranking of college basketball teams with the most elite 3-point shooters on their rosters. In a sport where spacing can change everything, those kinds of lists tend to say as much about a teams ceiling as any early preview, and Wisconsin found itself grouped with some familiar names such as BYU, Kentucky, NC State and West Virginia in the broader top-end discussion.
For the Badgers, it is another reminder that shooting still matters in the Big Ten, especially with the roster landscape shifting before the season. Several of the players highlighted in the ranking, including Milan Momcilovic, Paul McNeil Jr., Finley Bizjack and Eian Elmer, are also being watched as potential 2027 NBA Draft prospects because of their shooting and long-term upside, which only adds to the intrigue around how quickly these teams can stretch the floor when the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]