Wisco Wednesday

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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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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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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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. …

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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

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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

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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 …

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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 …

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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 –

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