The Wisconsin Badgers are looking at a really tough schedule in 2025, putting even more pressure on head coach Luke Fickell as he sits on the hot seat. The 2024 season saw the Badgers miss a bowl game for the first time in over two decades after a dismal 5-7 record.
Defending national title winners Ohio State will visit Madison, and a non-conference game on the road at Alabama also awaits the Badgers. Despite a poor 2024, 2025 gives the program an opportunity to prove themselves and move themselves up the Big Ten standings.
Predicting Wisconsin Badgers’ 2025 Season
Wisconsin’s season begins in late August with a home game against the Miami (OH) RedHawks, who won eight of their last nine games in 2024 after a 1-4 start to the season.
That won’t be the easiest of starts, and the Big Ten is always a tough one to navigate for a lot of teams, but the Badgers will be expecting to get themselves back in with a positive record and perform better in conference play.
After Week 7, the Badgers looked to be in a good spot with a 5-2 record after convincing wins against Purdue, Rutgers and Northwestern. Then, they hit a five-game skid at the hands of Penn State, Iowa, Oregon, Nebraska and Minnesota.
There is no embarrassment losing in one-off games to those five teams, but not picking up a single win and being heavily beaten in four of those games really asked questions of Fickell’s position leading the program.
There were a number of big changes in Madison during the offseason, going from the playing personnel, all the way up to the front office. Top of the list has to be offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes being brought in from Kansas.
Hopefully, this addition can boost the run game, as the Jayhawks had the 13th most rushing yards in the entire country in 2024.
Quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. was the big offseason acquisition after transferring from Maryland. Edwards had a solid season with 2,881 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, nine interceptions, and five rushing touchdowns. The Terrapins may have only gone 4-8, but Wisconsin has their new starting quarterback as he enters his final year of eligibility.
A total of 19 transfers were brought in by the Badgers, with wide receiver Trech Kekahuna initially entering but then changing his mind to stay on the team. Cornerbacks Ricardo Hallman and Nyzier Fourqurean were also retained, allowing the team to build on what was a good pass defense on a poor team.
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Personally, I think the Badgers will return to being a very much ground-and-pound type team, allowing Edwards to flex his muscles where the team sees fit. Wisconsin will want to get themselves back to around a 7-5 record, but looking at the schedule, it is incredibly hard to see the team reaching that total.
Five of their 12 opponents were ranked in 2024, and 247Sports have it as the fifth-hardest schedule in all of college football. I expect Fickell to keep his job through the season, with a new coach to come in for 2026. A poor start, however, will see the plug pulled sooner rather than later.
I am predicting an identical record to 2024. 5-7 overall with a 3-6 Big Ten record. The wins will be over Miami (OH), Middle Tennessee, Maryland, Washington and Illinois.
2025 Wisconsin Badgers Schedule
Sat 30 Aug. vs Miami (OH)
Sat 6 Sept. vs Middle Tennessee
Sat 13 Sept. @ Alabama
Sat 20 Sept. vs Maryland
Sat 4 Oct. @ Michigan
Sat 11 Oct. vs Iowa
Sat 18 Oct. vs Ohio State
Sat 25 Oct. @ Oregon
Sat 8 Nov. vs Washington
Sat 15 Nov. @ Indiana
Sat 22 Nov. vs Illinois
Sat 29 Nov. @ Minnesota
It is a gauntlet for Wisconsin in 2025, and that makes it incredibly difficult for Fickell to win fans over again and get the team’s win total up on 2024. Last season, the three wins in Big Ten games came against lowly Purdue and Northwestern, both finished below Wisconsin, with their only win on a team above them being a 42-7 win on the road against Rutgers.
Maryland, Washington and Minnesota are all teams that finished within reach of Wisconsin, making them almost must win games for the team as getting anything against Ohio State and Oregon will be an incredibly tough task.
The Badgers may start the season 3-1 with some of their easier games coming in those first four weeks. That is followed by a bye week before an incredibly tough October where they would hope to win at least one but can easily lose all four games.
November, again, is difficult, and those final four games could make or break Fickell’s future and whether the team returns to a bowl game in 2025.
Expert Picks for Wisconsin Badgers Season
A lot of experts and media sites are predicting that the Badgers can overcome their poor 2024 season and make their way back to a bowl game come the end of 2025.
“It’s time for the Badgers to show progress under Luke Fickell,” Brad Crawford of 247 Sports said.
“Unfortunately, there’s no let-up with this season’s brutal schedule. In addition to Alabama in the non-conference, Wisconsin takes on Ohio State, Oregon and Indiana — three playoff teams from a season ago — along with Michigan and Illinois. Getting to seven wins will be a feat for this group,” Crawford added.
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Steven Lassan of Athlon Sports says, “The 2025 season is a crucial one for coach Luke Fickell. New coordinator Jeff Grimes is tasked with jumpstarting an offense that averaged only 22.6 points a game last year. Fickell is also leaning on several transfers to reload on defense.”
Athlon Sports: 14th in the Big Ten
Badgers Wire: 7-5
247 Sports: 7-5
College Football News: at least 6 wins and a bowl trip.
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