We are less than a month away from the start of the regular season for the Wisconsin Badgers, who have quite the challenge in Week 1 against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Wisconsin is evidently entering the season with a lot of optimism following a much different offseason under head coach Luke Fickell, but they will be facing one of the best teams in the country when they debut their new-look team, and the odds reflect that.
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The Badgers are currently 20.5-point underdogs on FanDuel Sportsbook, despite the game taking place at Lambeau Field. And with a team dealing with over 30 transfers, there are some pretty big questions to answer that could define Wisconsin’s season.
What are the five most glaring questions or concerns for the Badgers heading into 2026?
QB play
All offseason long, there’s been a ton of talk around quarterback play for the Badgers, which is very understandable, as Wisconsin brought in three new quarterbacks, including prized transfer addition Colton Joseph.
The Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year last season, Joseph brings a true dual-threat skill set to offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes’s offense and should be a clear upgrade over what Wisconsin had at the position last season when they were the second-worst scoring offense in the FBS.
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But how good will he ultimately be as he steps up into the Big Ten?
With his ability on the ground, I think there’s a clear floor there. At worst, Wisconsin should be more efficient on the ground next season simply because defenses have to account for the quarterback in the run game. But fundamentals in the passing game are where questions arise.
Joseph can be a tad delayed with reads in the pocket, while his accuracy and consistency remain work in progress as well. If Wisconsin had a dominant No. 1 receiver, some of those concerns would be alleviated. But with the questions the Badgers have at receiver (more on that soon), those concerns can be amplified.
Now, the bar is, again, quite low, given what Wisconsin has had at the quarterback position, and Joseph’s floor should provide some stability for the offense. But will he be able to reach his ceiling in 2026? I’m not so sure, and that caps what Wisconsin’s ceiling can be as well for the season.
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Can the offensive line return to being dominant?
Wisconsin’s offensive line has dealt with its fair share of issues over the past two years as the offense has taken a turn in the wrong direction.
While quarterback play has certainly been an issue, the Badgers have not been able to run the ball efficiently as well. A part of that is that defenses haven’t respected the pass. But Wisconsin’s offensive line has been better in pass protection over the past two years in comparison to its run-blocking, while the team’s offensive strength has been its running backs.
Injuries have also been a big issue for the offensive line. Key players like Kevin Heywood, Joe Brunner, and Jake Renfro have gotten injured over the past two years. Last season, Davis Heinzen didn’t pan out at left tackle, forcing a major switchup on the offensive line after Week 1. There’s just been too much turnover and shifting in a group that hopes to trot out the same five guys each week.
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This offseason, Wisconsin went out and got several linemen in the transfer portal: Austin Kawecki, PJ Wilkins, Blake Cherry, Stylz Blackmon, and Lucas Simmons-Johannson. All five should start or be in the two-deep.
Kawecki was one of the top centers in a not-very-strong center transfer portal class. His health will be paramount because the Badgers don’t have a clear backup behind him who has proven to be an effective snapper.
Wilkins is projected to start at left tackle. Now, he’s got the prototypical size (6’6, 335 pounds) and length, but is largely unproven at tackle after playing guard at Ole Miss as a reserve last year. There are a lot of question marks there at the most important position on the line.
Kevin Heywood is back from a torn ACL and slated to play right tackle. But he’s been dealing with an injury in fall camp, and the Badgers need him fully healthy and out there for meaningful reps. Same goes for Emerson Mandell, who kicked back in to play right guard and has missed all of fall camp after undergoing surgery in the spring.
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Wisconsin needs their offensive line to be dominant again for success on that side of the ball in 2026. Running the ball will be a huge part of the offense, while pass protection will be key to aid Joseph’s development. That means the unit needs to be healthy.
Who will catch passes?
The Badgers had an interesting strategy in the offseason at wide receiver, going for quantity rather than proven options in the transfer portal. Now, how much of that was in their hands is a fair question, as it’s tough to attract top wideouts without a proven passing game.
But heading into the Fall, Wisconsin still has a major question on offense: who will be their top pass catchers?
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Eugene Hilton figures to step into the No. 1 receiver role and has had a quality Fall camp, according to reports, but he’ll be facing some of the top secondaries in the country as a player without much game experience at the Big Ten level.
Behind him, Chris Brooks and Tyrell Henry are the top returners. But neither was a key figure in the passing game last year, with the former being better known for his blocking on the perimeter. Wisconsin is hoping Jaylon Domingeaux, who was a big-bodied deep threat at FCS Southeastern Louisiana last year, can become a consistent player on the boundary.
And they’re hoping that one of Malachi Coleman, Shamar Rigby, or Zion Kearney can also provide something in the passing game. There’s just a ton of questions at receiver without much proven production in one of the toughest conferences in the country.
At tight end, Emmett Bork has been the biggest riser, and he should see a ton of playing time after a strong offseason. Jacob Harris had a quiet spring, but has made some plays in Fall camp and could be a red zone threat and sneaky vertical threat with his size and hands. But it’s unclear if either of them will turn into a reliable weapon like Lance Mason was last year.
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There’s a ton of questions in the receiving room, which also goes with Colton Joseph’s accuracy concerns. Lots to figure out in the passing game.
Will Wisconsin’s mental fortitude improve?
Over the last two seasons, one of Wisconsin’s biggest issues was its inability to bounce back from losses. We saw that last year during the Badgers’ brutal six-game losing streak, when Wisconsin would be competitive in a tough loss before getting blown out.
The best example of that was their embarrassing 37-0 loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes at Camp Randall Stadium, which came after a competitive 24-10 loss to the Michigan Wolverines. Yes, both were tough opponents, but the attitude in both games felt quite different.
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Back in 2024, the Badgers had some similar instances in their rough five-game losing streak to end the season that saw them go from 5-2 to 5-7 and completely miss a bowl game. Wisconsin had a competitive 28-13 loss to Penn State at Camp Randall Stadium, which was followed by a 42-0 massacre to Iowa.
Then, they bounced back with a competitive effort in a 16-13 loss to Oregon, which was followed by a blowout 44-25 defeat to Nebraska. Physicality and the ability to fight back have been an issue in those major blowout losses, which have come far too often over the past few years, and players have acknowledged that losses have lingered into following games.
Nothing comes easy in the Big Ten. The Badgers are going to find themselves in big battles this season, both week-by-week and during games. Something we’ll only be able to gauge during the season is whether they’ll have the mental and physical fortitude to bounce back and find ways to win those tougher games.
How will Wisconsin find its pass rush?
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If the Badgers are going to be successful this year, they’re going to have to ride on their defense. A big part of their late-season success defensively last season was because they became one of the best pass rushes in the country behind Mason Reiger, Darryl Peterson, and Co.
Well, both of those outside linebackers are gone this offseason, and the Badgers are going to have to find a way to rush the quarterback. Most of Wisconsin’s additions in the offseason up front were to address the team’s run defense. They brought in jumbo edge Justus Boone, who has a quick first step and should be able to help set the edge well. Hammond Russell and Junior Poyser are big bodies who can complement Charles Perkins with run stuffing.
They did bring in DIII transfer Liam Danitz, but he hasn’t been much of a factor this offseason. Instead, Wisconsin will need Sebastian Cheeks to take another step, while Nicolas Clayton and Tyreese Fearbry will be key off the edge as well. Clayton arguably has the best get-off on the team and is stepping into a much bigger role this season. Cheeks was already growing as a pass rusher last season, and will now be the team’s top outside linebacker.
Wisconsin will also need some juice from the interior, though. They’ll likely shift guys inside on passing downs (perhaps Boone is fit for that role), but that’s where Poyser could also make an impact after having 5.5 sacks at Buffalo last year.
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Mike Tressel has done really well with blitz packages, and Mason Posa and Thomas Heiberger are other guys who can definitely provide pass rush off the edge. But there are some questions about how the Badgers will manufacture pressure this year as well.
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