The Badgers have quite a few big games on their schedule for 2025. Which would mean the most?
The Wisconsin Badgers have quite a schedule this year, as they carry over a major non-conference game on top of a grueling Big Ten schedule.
With all the tough games this season, I thought it’d be a fun experiment to rank the top matchups and point out which wins would mean the most for Wisconsin in 2025.
Yes, this is, in a way, comparing apples (Ohio State) with rotting oranges (Minnesota), but it’s worth thinking about: Of all the Badgers’ opponents this fall, which would be the most important victory for the program? Is it about a high floor? A high ceiling? A combination of the two?
I’m going to limit my discussion to seven opponents in the interest of realism and efficiency, and spread these between three categories: High Floor, Big Time, and Program Changers.
High Floor (Illinois/Iowa/@ Minnesota)
I could have also called this The Big Ten West Tier. While none of these victories would garner national attention or be considered a signature win for Luke Fickell, all would stop the bleeding at some level, given how low the program has sunk against traditional rivals.
A more cynical way of looking at them would be “averting a worst-case scenario” games. If the thought of PJ Fleck strutting around with the Axe for the 4th time in five years doesn’t make your blood run cold, are you really a Badger?
I’d probably rank these (from most important to least): Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois.
Big Time (@ Michigan/@ Oregon)
These two would be wins that probably don’t carry any long-lasting program significance or impact a meaningful rivalry, but would still be outstanding, signature victories for Fickell.
Winning a road game as a (likely) significant underdog against a Top 10-20 type squad in a weird, hostile environment would be a huge accomplishment and, by a wide margin, would be Wisconsin’s best win in several seasons.
I’m tipping my hand here, given that there’s another category to come, that I don’t see these two as the correct answer for the biggest potential win in 2025, but they would both be impressive pelts for Wisconsin to hang on their wall.
Program Changers (@ Alabama/Ohio State)
I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that these are the types of wins that can significantly alter the trajectory of a wobbling program.
While Alabama is coming off a disappointing first year under Kalen DeBoer, it’s a fact that beating the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa in a Big Ten/SEC battle would be, from a national perspective, massive for Wisconsin. There’s no way to overstate the shift in program perception that would come with it.
It’s also early in the season, so the confidence it would generate in the locker room could be immense. To an even greater extent, beating defending national champion OSU for the first time in 15 years would be outlandishly huge for the Badgers and Luke Fickell, especially given his Buckeyes roots.
I’m expecting a high-energy night game in Madison, and that beer would taste a whole lot better after if Wisconsin can steal a win. It would be a program-building, bedrock type of victory.