Cole Tollison

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 …

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 …

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 …

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. …

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