Ohio State football Buck'Eyeing' the Big Ten: Wisconsin Badgers

With the expansion of The Big Ten from 14 teams to 18 teams for the 2024 season, the Big Ten decided to adjust its scheduling process, rotating teams for the 2024 through 2028 seasons. Each team is guaranteed to play every Big Ten team during this period.

It was against this backdrop that prompted me to look at the teams that the Ohio State football team will NOT be playing in 2024. It would not be impossible for one of those teams to wind up in The Big Ten Championship Game, depending on that team's respective talent level and schedule difficulty.

We have come to the end of the series. Other teams that I reviewed along the way were the Illinois Fighting Illini, the Maryland Terrapins, the Minnesota Golden Gophers, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, the UCLA Bruins, the USC Trojans, and the Washington Huskies. As you can see, they were written in alphabetical order, and you can look at any of those teams by simply clicking on the team name to review any of those previous articles. As the song goes, "On, Wisconsin!".

8. Wisconsin Badgers (2023 record: 7-6)

Uh, I am going to politely say...2023 could have been better.

Wisconsin hired Luke Fickell after a strong coaching performance at the University of Cincinnati, where Fickell compiled a 57-11 record that included a College Football Playoff appearance after the 2021 season. Fickell had Wisconsin at 5-2, then the Badgers sputtered from late October through the middle of November, before finishing up with two victories to secure bowl eligibility. Wisconsin finished up the 2023 season with a 35-31 loss to LSU in The 2024 Reliaquest Bowl.

Next Scheduled Regular Season Game Against Ohio State: For those Ohio State fans who are curious, the Buckeyes will make their first trip to Camp Randall Stadium in 2025. The date and time of the game has not yet been announced.

Key Personnel Losses From 2023:

Wisconsin lost two players from their 2023 roster, with C Tanor Bortolini a 4th round selection by the Indianapolis Colts, and RB Braelon Allen a 4th round selection by the New York Jets. Allen's loss looms large, as Allen ran for 984 yards, averaged 5.4 yards per carry, and scored 12 touchdowns. Allen also contributed 28 receptions, so his absence from the Badgers' offense seems significant.

2024 Schedule Outlook: Here is where it gets interesting, as the Badgers open up on a Friday night (August 30th; 9 pm ET on The Big Ten Network) and host South Dakota on September 7th (3:30 pm ET kickoff; televised by FS1) before hosting the Alabama Crimson Tide for a nationally televised "Big Noon" kickoff on September 14th. This game will mark the first time the Crimson Tide have visited Camp Randall Stadium since November 3rd, 1928, and will also give the Badgers an opportunity to gauge themselves against a well-respected national program.

With the addition of four West Coast teams, Wisconsin will make its first trip to The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum since September 1967 to take on new Big Ten member USC. Another good barometer for the Badgers and Luke Fickell, as the calendar will move into October.

Purdue visits Wisconsin on October 5th, then the Badgers make two road trips to Rutgers (October 12th) and Northwestern (October 19th), before coming home to take on Penn State on October 26th. Wisconsin defeated Purdue (38-17) and Rutgers (24-13), while the Badgers lost to Northwestern (24-10) in the 2023 season. The Badgers need to avoid the type of tailspin that affected them last season in October.

Wisconsin splits November, with road games at Iowa (November 2nd) and at Nebraska (November 23rd), while also hosting Oregon for the first time since the 2000 season on November 16th, and then the Badgers host traditional rival Minnesota for a "Black Friday" 12 pm ET game televised by CBS on November 29th. The November 16th contest versus Oregon could have major repercussions on the 2024 Big Ten conference standings, as Oregon is one of the media favorites to win The Big Ten.

Prediction for 2024: I see Wisconsin as a bowl team, but I do not see them as one of the top teams within the conference. Luke Fickell has made some curious hiring decisions so far in Madison, by hiring Phil Longo as his offensive coordinator prior to the 2023 season, and by his decision this season to bring in Alex Grinch as its new safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator, along with holdover Mike Tressel. Grinch was unceremoniously fired by USC after the Trojans' defense was a prime culprit for USC's disappointing 2023 season.

Fickell's decision to try to adjust Wisconsin's offensive identity of over 30 years as a power running team to an Air Raid system under Phil Longo had mixed results in 2023, at best. The departure of Braelon Allen to the NFL, while bringing in former Miami (FL) quarterback Tyler Van Dyke as the probable new starter at that position, have the Badgers at an offensive crossroads heading into the season.

As I wrote up above, it will be important for Fickell to get off to a strong start this season, as grumbling and complaints will only grow louder if Wisconsin has another mediocre season as they did in 2023.

Thank you so much for reading through this series on these various Big Ten teams as they all prepare for the 2024 season. As always, let me know what you think, and next week I will have a review of what my thoughts were about The Big Ten Media Days that were held in Indianapolis.