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Wisco Wednesday: Breaking Down Wisconsin’s High-Flying Offense

Before the 2024/25 basketball season, what word would you use to describe Wisconsin Basketball?

Gritty? Tough? Controlling? Simple? Slow? Anything that describes a dominant defense and a slow-paced offense that runs the swing offense to perfection would work. Dick Bennet, Bo Ryan, and Greg Gard made Wisconsin a defensive powerhouse that could reliably win games as long as they scored 60 points. And that’s what they did. Since the 1995/96 season, Wisconsin has averaged 64.7 points a game. That includes Dick Bennet’s 2000 Final Four team that averaged 59.9 points a game. Wisconsin’s best offense during that time frame was last year at 74.7 points a game. Wisconsin’s second-best offense was Bo Ryan’s first Final Four team at 73.5 points a game. This year’s team? 81 points a game. A far cry from Bo Ryan’s 300th win, a 48 – 38 slugfest against Virginia. 

Why the change?

Why is this team scoring a historic amount? Simple, Greg Gard had to change things up to not lose his job. After multiple seasons where Wisconsin stalled out and ran simple offenses that were easily exploitable, Gard modernized his offense to be highly efficient. According to Ken Pom’s offensive efficiency rating, Wisconsin has …

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Welcome to Chaos: Walk On Fan’s First Bracket for 2025

1 Seeds:

Auburn, Houston, Florida, Tennessee

2 Seeds:

Duke, Purdue, Alabama, St. Johns

All right, this is the first article I’m writing. Ever. It was supposed to be easy. Then Auburn and Duke lost. Am I biased in dropping Duke to a 2 line? Probably, but the ACC is severely underperforming while the SEC has too many contenders to count. Nothing pains me more than having 3 SEC teams in the top 4, but until they’re proven otherwise, they stay there. Houston is the only team I can currently see competing with the SEC. My one hot take here is I believe Pitino and St John’s will not lose another game before tourney season.

3 Seeds:

Texas Tech, Kansas, Illinois, Texas A&M

4 Seeds:

 Arizona, Mich State, Wisconsin, Iowa St

Now back to some more chaos. Kansas lost a terrible game while both Texas teams were uninspiring in the past week. Out of this grouping, the Big Ten reigns supreme. I hate putting Arizona higher than Wisconsin, but they keep winning in a tough conference. As an aside, I’ll give my full opinion on Wisconsin on Wednesday. 

5 Seeds:

Maryland, Gonzaga, Louisville, Kentucky

6 Seeds:

Michigan, Ole Miss, Marquette, Clemson

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Wisco Wednesday: The Mighty Ducks

It’s been 14 years since Wisconsin had a crack at #1 on their home turf. I just wish this was a different Wisconsin team going into the game.

What about Iowa?

We’re not discussing the Iowa game in depth. Everything was bad. But specifically, the O-Line, D-Line, and QB play were really really bad. I’d be shocked if both the OC and the DC were employed next year. 

Moving on…

Game Preview: Oregon

#1 Oregon at Wisconsin 

Where: Camp Randall Stadium

When: Saturday, 11/16 – 6:30 PM (CST)

How to Watch: NBC

Spread: Oregon -14.5

O/U: 52.5

Oregon Ducks’ Record: 10-0

Best Win: 32-31 Over #2 Ohio State

#1 in the Camp at Night:

Since 1973 the #1 team in college football has played at Camp Randall 5 times. Ohio State twice, Michigan twice, and Iowa once. Wisconsin went 2-3 in those games… not too bad. 

My point is, this is not a common occurrence. The last #1 to play at Camp Randall, 2010 Ohio State, lost to an unranked Wisconsin team. JJ Watt had the game sealing sack. 

There are probably a lot of apathetic fans at this point in the season. But they shouldn’t let the scarcity …

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Week 10 Big Ten Picks

Last Week we went 3-5 ATS. That’s not ideal. Hopefully we can get back on track this week.

Odds were taken from Fanduel at the time of writing*

4 Ohio State (-3.5) at Penn State – 11:00 AM on FOX

Ohio State seems to be the hurdle PSU can’t seem to get over. But 3.5 is just too much. I think this is a tight game where either team wins by 3 or less. 

Pick – Penn State +3.5

Minnesota (-2.5) at Illinois – 11:00 AM on FS1

Brett Bielema has made a career out of beating Minnesota. The wrong team is favored, ILL-INI pulls the upset. 

Pick – Illinois +2.5 (Upset Special)

Northwestern (-1.5) at Purdue – 11:00 AM on BTN

Purdue is possibly the worst Power 4 team in FBS. NW wins comfortably. 

Pick – Northwestern -1.5

1 Oregon (-14.5) at Michigan – 2:30 PM on CBS

Michigan still can’t figure out who to play at QB. Oregon is a national title contender that continues to cover week after week. I see no reason for that trend to change. 

Pick – Oregon -14.5

Indiana (-7.5) at Michigan State – 2:30 PM on Peacock

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Wisco Wednesday: Do or Die vs The Hawkeyes

Take me down to Iowa City, where they drink Busch Light and the offense ain’t pretty. This will be a Battle of Backup QBs for the prestigious Heartland Trophy. Avert your eyes.

Looking Back 

Penn State – 28
Wisconsin – 13

Wisconsin was winning 10-7 at halftime. That feels like an eternity ago at this point. 

Wisconsin has played 3 “good” football teams at this point. Penn State, USC, and Alabama. All 3 were embarrassing. Alabama smoked the Badgers. And Wisco blew halftime leads against USC and Penn State. I guess that’s a sign of progress, but blowing leads makes me think this is a coaching issue. 

Wisconsin could not run the ball in the 2nd half, and that’s concerning. Is it on the OL? The play calling? Walker? Honestly, I have no idea. That’s something Longo and Fickell need to evaluate. If Wisconsin can’t run the ball, then getting even 1 more win will be difficult. 

I will say that the environment in Camp Randall was amazing. The students were a bit late (blame the university, not the kids), but the crowd was loud and standing for most of the game. 9/10, please have more night games in Madison. …

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Week 9 Big Ten Picks

Last Week we went 4-3 ATS and correctly called the Illinois upset of Michigan. Let’s see if we can do a bit better in week 9. 

Odds were taken from Fanduel at the time of writing*

Rutgers (+14) at USC – (Friday) 10:00 PM on FOX

USC is winning close and losing close. I don’t see a scenario where they win by more than 2 scores. Don’t let me down 2 weeks in a row Rutgers. 

Pick – Rutgers +14

Nebraska (+25.5) at 4 Ohio State- 11:00 AM on FOX

Ohio State is a juggernaut. Nebraska lost by 49 to Indiana last week. If Ohio State wants to, they’ll top that mark. 

Pick – Ohio State -25.5 

Washington (+6.5) at Indiana – 11:00 AM on BTN

Indiana’s starting QB is hurt, and I don’t care. They are more than just a QB, they are a great team. It helps that the backup is pretty good too. The Indiana wagon keeps rolling along. 

Pick – Indiana -6.5

20 Illinois (+21.5) at 1 Oregon – 2:30 PM on CBS

Oregon will absolutely win this game (probably). But 21 is a lot to win by, especially against an underrated, …

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Wisco Wednesday (a day late): Homecoming Week

After back-to-back road wins, Bucky is coming home. Is this team ready to compete with the number 3 Nittany Lions? Or will it be another splattering like the Bama game?

Looking Back 

Northwestern – 3
Wisconsin – 23

Three in a row. Wisconsin has stacked 3 dominant wins in 3 consecutive weeks. Albeit the competition was rather poor. But blowing out bad teams is a hallmark of the Wisconsin we’re used to from the last 30 years. 

The offense wasn’t as good as the couple of weeks prior, but the defense was elite, and special teams made some massive plays. Tawee Walker’s dominance continues with 23 carries for 126 yards (5.5 ypc). Overall the run game has grown exponentially since week 1 due to the development of the offense line. 

It’s not a stretch to say all 5 starters on the OL will be playing on Sundays in a couple of years. 

Another week, another vintage Wisconsin defense. In the last 3 games, they’ve given up 1 touchdown. The run D could be better (the D-line is still the biggest weakness on the team), but the secondary is so good they more than make up for it. 

Wisconsin is becoming …

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Week 8 B1G Picks

All the B1G games picked against the spread. Let’s see if Walk on Fan has any idea what we’re doing. 

Odds were taken from Fanduel at the time of writing*

2 Oregon (-27.5) at Purdue – (Friday) 7:00 PM on FOX

Oregon is coming off of a massive emotional win and has to travel across the country in a short week. Of course, I think the Ducks win, but 27.5 is too rich. Purdue covers, but Oregon wins 38-14

Pick – Purdue +27.5

Nebraska (+6.5) at Indiana – 11:00 AM on FOX

IMO – this is the hardest B1G game to pick this week. Indiana’s schedule is so soft it’s hard to tell if they are for real. I think Neraska’s defense is good enough to keep this game close, but Indiana’s offense is just too much. This feels like Indiana 23, Nebraska 14 to me.

Pick – Indiana -6.5

Wisconsin (-7.5) at Northwestern – 11:00 AM on BTN

Bucky is on a roll and Northwestern’s win last week was heavily dependent on turnovers. The Wildcats won despite being outgained by Maryland, and I think that’s a sign they aren’t very good. Wisconsin pounds NW 45-7.

Pick

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Wisco Wednesday: Are the Badgers Good Now?

Wisconsin has outscored their opponents 94-13 in the last 2 weeks. Do I give Fickell credit, or are Rutgers and Purdue just that bad?

Looking Back: 

Rutgers – 7
Wisconsin – 42

The Purdue win could’ve been a fluke, but 2 blowout wins in a row is a pattern. 

The most convincing part of this win for me is how similar it was to the Purdue win. Wisconsin might actually have an identity on offense.

Step 1: Run Tawee Walker a lot.
Step 2: Take deep shots to Vinny Anthony II and Trech Kekahuna
Result: 40+ points per game

Wisconsin had 500+ yards of offense against both Purdue and Rutgers. The last time the Badgers did that in back to back weeks was 2010 – A Rose Bowl Season

The defense has finally made some of the player substitutions I’ve been begging for. They probably aren’t “elite,” but they are much better than they were in weeks 1-3. Elijah Hills, Xavier Lucas, and Tackett Curtis are all on the field much more often. 

Another part of the winning formula that needs to be emphasized: penalties. Wisconsin is 3rd out of 134 teams …

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Wisco Wednesday: A Must Win Game

When was the last time Wisconsin lost to Purdue? Who should be on the field for Wisconsin?

Bench Seniors, Start Freshman and Transfers:

We are far enough into the season where I can use my eyes and tell that the coaches aren’t starting the best players. Maybe they are better in practice, but they haven’t been on Saturdays.

Ben Barten and Curt Neal are the DL starters. Elijah Hills (transfer) is better than both. He was by far the most disruptive against USC.

Jake Chaney stole the starting MLB spot from Meama Njongmeta last season. Njongmeta made an NFL roster in 2024 (Bengals); Chaney has been aggressively mediocre. Underclassmen Tackett Curtis played much better than Chaney when he filled in after Chaney’s ejection for targeting. Chaney should not have got his job back.

The other ILB spot currently belongs to transfer senior Jaheim Thomas. You don’t recognize that name because he hasn’t done anything. Sophomore Christian Alliegro has flashed in limited 3rd down action, and I’d give him a chance to take Thomas’s playing time. 

And now for the offense. At QB, it is what it is. Locke is a 50% completion guy. At WR, we have some decent slot …

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