college football

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 …

Wisco Wednesday: A Must Win Game Read More »

Wisco Wednesday: Going To LA

Is Locke ready for the bright lights of a sold out LA crowd? Does the bye week help Wisconsin at all? OR is conference play this year going to start very painfully?

Game Preview: USC

Wisconsin at #13 USC

Where: LA Memorial Coliseum

When: Saturday, 9/28 – 2:30 PM (CST)

How to Watch: CBS

Spread: USC -15.5

O/U: 50.5

USC Trojans Current Record: 2-1 
(Beat #14 LSU, Lost at #12 Michigan)

A revenge game for 3 Badgers:

3 members of the Wisconsin Badgers are USC transplants that will get to face their former team. First, we have CJ Williams, he was a high 4 star WR prospect who committed to USC out of high school. After 1 year in LA, he jumped ship to give the Dairy Raid a shot in Wisconsin. This is CJ’s second season in Mad Town and he’s currently WR4 on the depth chart. Second, we have LB Tackett Curtis. He started as a freshman last year at USC. Now he’s part of a revitalized LB group in Madison. He’s LB3 for now, but he played very well when Jake Chaney missed time for a targeting ejection. Curtis is a young player with a bright future. …

Wisco Wednesday: Going To LA Read More »

Wisco Wednesday: Hot Seat Talk

Badger fans want everyone fired, let’s entertain that thought. Also, Wisconsin doesn’t look like a bowl team this year. Yikes. 

Looking Back: 

Alabama – 42
Wisconsin – 10

Saturday was pathetic. Fickell called it an ass whooping, I’d say he’s underselling how bad it was. 

Is Fickell on the hot seat?

Absolutely not. His buyout is 30 million dollars; who’s paying that? It’s like people don’t remember the damage Paul Chryst did to the program. Recruiting was down below Indiana and Rutgers levels for multiple years. In the era of the transfer portal, it is possible to turn around rosters quickly, but that likely isn’t going to work at Wisconsin. In the NIL era, Wisconsin is a relatively low budget school. Bucky can’t afford to pay high end transfers. Transfers can fill depth roles or help with weak spots, but the best players on the team are going to come through recruiting. Fickell’s 1st recruiting class was the 2nd best ever at Wisconsin, and some of those true freshmen are already playing. I feel comfortable saying Fick has until mid 2026 to figure this out. By then all the coach Chryst stink will be out of the program. 

Is Tressel

Wisco Wednesday: Hot Seat Talk Read More »

Week 3 – Some Thoughts on Some Games

Rivalries in week 3? Only 1 ranked matchup.. on Saturday. And a traditional Rose Bowl game in primetime.

THE BEST RANKED VS RANKED GAME:
20 Arizona at 14 Kansas State

Friday Night Football for this non-con showdown between ranked Big 12 schools. Wait, did I read that right? Yes, despite both schools being in the same conference, this game will not count towards the league standings. This is because the game was scheduled before the realignment shenanigans. 

THE OTHER RANKED VS RANKED GAME:
24 Boston College at 6 Missouri

Florida State was ranked when they lost to Boston College, so now Boston College gets to be ranked. That’s a nice little prize. It won’t last long though, Mizzouri likely runs away with this one. 

ONE-SIDED RIVALRY GAMES:
9 Oregon at Oregon State
Washington State vs Washington (Seattle)
18 Notre Dame at Purdue

Big Ten rivalry week in *checks notes* … week 3. Historically these are games where the big brand crushes the little guy and moves on. But Oregon, Washington, and Notre Dame should all be on upset watch this week. ND did manage to blow it last week against Northern Illinois as a 28 point favorite. 

A

Week 3 – Some Thoughts on Some Games Read More »

Wisco Wednesday: It’s Bama Time

Last week was a little better. But with the elephant rolling into town, what can Wisconsin do to have a chance?

Looking Back: 

South Dakota – 13
Wisconsin – 27

Wisconsin won by 14 in week 1, then did it again in week 2. So did things get better, or worse?

Despite the opponent being from a lower division, this was actually a tougher matchup. South Dakota is rated higher than Western Michigan by advanced metrics and Vegas had the spread tighter (19.5 vs 24.5).

Wisconsin’s offense isn’t pretty, it’s actually quite bad. But, it is measurably better than last year. Across 2 games this season Wisconsin has had 6 drives of 13+ plays. Last SEASON Wisconsin had 5 total. Wisconsin can move the ball, it’s just ugly. The Badgers are currently 133rd of 134 teams in explosive play rate – i.e. the offense is the opposite of explosive (last is Air Force).  

Looking forward

Game Preview: Alabama 

#4 Alabama at Wisconsin 

Where: Camp Randall Stadium

When: Saturday, 9/14 – 11:00 AM (CST)

How to Watch: FOX

Spread: Alabama -16.5

O/U: 50.5

Alabama Crimson Tide’s 2023 Record: 12-2
Won the SEC Championship Game vs Georgia
Lost in the CFP Semifinals

Wisco Wednesday: It’s Bama Time Read More »

Wisco Wednesday: Improvement is Mandatory 

Week 1 was almost a disaster. South Dakota is a real threat. We need a sign that Wisconsin is better than last year.

Looking Back: 

Western Michigan – 14
Wisconsin – 28

Wisconsin’s easiest game of the year, and they won by 14. The Badgers were favored by 24, yet were losing in the 4th quarter. That is unacceptable. Unfortunately, this offense looked a lot like last year’s offense. A subpar run game paired with a screen heavy passing attack. They did use different personnel groupings more than last year, so that’s something. There were often 2 RBs or 2 TEs on the field for about half the plays… It didn’t help.

The defense was great and terrible. The secondary was great. The run defense was terrible. Combine those two things, and the defense was terrible. Any team that has a run game with a pulse can run on this Badgers D-Line. Changes are required if Wisconsin wants to win more than 5 games this year.

Last week Wisconsin wasn’t good enough. They got the win, but there was no evidence that this team is measurably better than last year’s team. Fickell needs to make the necessary adjustments to prove …

Wisco Wednesday: Improvement is Mandatory  Read More »

Tolly Predictions: The Playoffs

Who are the conference winners? Is the playoff dominated by the SEC and B1G? Bracketology has infected college football. 

These are my preseason picks for the playoff.

Yes, I know, Florida State already has a loss from week 0. I was never going to pick them to win the ACC (see the top ACC team in my preseason top 25 as evidence). I’m late, but this is better than never. 

Conference Championships:

SEC: Georgia over Ole Miss
Big Ten: Ohio State over Oregon
ACC: Miami over Virginia Tech
Big 12: Oklahoma State over Utah
American: Memphis over UTSA

Round 1:

9 Michigan at 8 Penn State 
10 Texas at 7 Ole Miss
11 Notre Dame at 6 Alabama
12 Memphis at 5 Oregon

Quarterfinals:

1 Georgia vs 8 Penn State
2 Ohio State vs 10 Texas
3 Miami vs 6 Alabama
4 Oklahoma State vs 5 Oregon

Semifinals:

1 Georgia vs 5 Oregon 
2 Ohio State vs 6 Alabama

Championship Game:

1 Georgia vs 2 Ohio State

National Champion:

The Ohio State Buckeyes

Want more Walk On Fan? 

Check out our B1G predictions that came out yesterday.

Follow us on Twitter (or X) @here.

This article was written by Cole

Tolly Predictions: The Playoffs Read More »

Tolly Predictions: The Big Ten

Who is winning the B1G? How many playoff caliber teams are there? These are our projections for the order of finish in the B1G this season. 

I have game by game predictions for every team, so these predictions are mathematically possible. I used the B1G tie breakers to get the order of finish… but there is a log jam at 3-6 in conference play that I struggled to figure out. We’ll just assume I got it right. 

Conference record shown in ().

Bottom Feeders

18th: Purdue 2-10 (1-8) 
17th: UCLA 3-9 (1-8)
16th: Northwestern 4-8 (2-7)
15th: Michigan State 5-7 (2-7)
14th: Illinois 5-7 (3-6) 

These are the bad teams. Will they all be bad? Doubtful. I’m probably underestimating at least one of these teams. That said, if your team plays one of these teams, you’d better win.  

Barely Bowl Teams

13th: Maryland 6-6 (3-6)
12th: Indiana 6-6 (3-6)
11th: Minnesota 6-6 (3-6)
10th: Washington 6-6 (3-6)

Bowl eligibility, that’s what we have here. That would be wildly over performing for Indiana, and a massive letdown for Washington.

Good But Not Great

9th: Rutgers 7-5 (5-4)
8th: USC 7-5 (5-4)
7th: Iowa 9-3 (6-3)
6th: Wisconsin 8-4 (6-3)
5th: Nebraska …

Tolly Predictions: The Big Ten Read More »

Wisco Wednesday: Football is Here

Only 2 more days. What to know for Western Michigan. How many Badgers made the 53 at the next level?

Game Preview: Western Michigan

Western Michigan at Wisconsin 

Where: Camp Randall Stadium

When: Friday, 8/30 – 8:00 PM (CST)

How to Watch: FS1

Spread: Wisconsin (-23.5)

O/U: 55.5 

Western Michigan Broncos 2023 Record: 4-8

Western Michigan is mostly unknown. So much so that even Fickell admitted this in his pregame presser on Monday. They have new offensive and defensive coordinators and had plenty of roster churn last offseason. The main concern for Wisconsin (minor concern) is the returning QB/RB combo of Kaleb Eleby and Jalen Buckley who finished strong last season. 

What concerns me about Wisconsin:

The DL was by far the shakiest unit on the team all offseason. Now, Senior starter James Thompson Jr. is out for the season, making a weak unit a genuine liability. If the Badgers can’t stop the run against Western Michigan, it’s an ill omen for the rest of the season.

What I want to see:

The forward pass and lots of Tawee Walker carries. Tyler Van Dyke has 2 weeks to work out the kinks of being on a new team. Let’s throw …

Wisco Wednesday: Football is Here Read More »

Wisco Wednesday: Full Regular Season Predictions

How many games can Wisconsin win in 2024? Where will the 3 rivalry trophies end up? And Wisco plays how many top 10 teams at home?

Week 1 – Western Michigan at Wisconsin 

Friday Aug 30th – 8:00 PM

Line: Wisconsin -24.5

Prediction: WinWisco 38, Western Michigan 14

This week 1 tune-up game goes very similarly to last year’s. A slow start offensively, but then they take off once Bucky commits to the run. 

Week 2 – South Dakota at Wisconsin 

Saturday Sept 7th – 2:30 PM

Line: TBD

Prediction: Win – Wisco 31, South Dakota 10

South Dakota is the 5th ranked FCS team in the country. That would make them just a tiny bit better than Western Michigan. This game will never feel close.

Week 3 – 5 Alabama at Wisconsin 

Saturday Sept 14th – 11:00 AM

Line: Alabama -9.5

Prediction: Loss – Alabama 28, Wisco 20

Wisconsin covers the 9.5, but Alabama is just too good. Unless Tyler Van Dyke is the next Russ, I don’t see Wisconsin pulling the upset here. Side note – It’s a tragedy that this game is at 11:00 AM. 

Week 4 – OFF

Week 5 –

Wisco Wednesday: Full Regular Season Predictions Read More »

Welcome to Walk On Fan

Sign up to receive notifications when new articles go live!