5 reasons for optimism for the Badgers in 2026

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As the season opener nears for the Wisconsin Badgers, I’ve had tempered optimism for the upcoming season, pointing out some of my top concerns and reasons for cautious expectations with this new-look team.

But alongside those concerns, there are, admittedly, several reasons to be optimistic for the Badgers, whose current win total is projected at 6.5, with the over slightly favored on FanDuel. Let’s dig into them.

The schedule

Now, every year is different from years past when it comes to team quality. We’ve seen success stories come out of nowhere, and several teams are projected to do far better in 2026 than 2025 (including the Badgers).

But the schedule is looking much more bearable for Wisconsin this season than it was when they had one of the toughest strengths of schedules last year.

Wisconsin faced seven ranked teams last year, with Iowa also being ranked at some point in the season. Four of those teams made the College Football Playoff (Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana), with Michigan slightly missing out.

The toughest part was that the rough stretch came back-to-back, with Wisconsin facing Michigan, Iowa, Ohio State, and Oregon in a gauntlet in October, with Washington, Indiana, Illinois, and Minnesota not being much better to end the year.

This season, Wisconsin doesn’t face Oregon, Ohio State, Michigan, or Indiana. They still have some tough games against Notre Dame, USC, Iowa, and Penn State, but they face Michigan State, UCLA, Rutgers, Maryland, and Purdue this year.

Add in Western Illinois and Eastern Michigan, and there is a clear path to a bowl game. The question is: can they finally get over the hump and achieve that goal?

Run Game

I’ve been high on Wisconsin’s running back rooms for a while now. While he wasn’t a great fit for Phil Longo’s offense, Braelon Allen was dominant in 2023 while battling a ton of injuries, going for 984 yards and 12 touchdowns, while Chez Mellusi was still efficient.

In 2024, Tawee Walker was a physical complement to Darrion Dupree and Mellusi, and really started to be more of a force once he was unleashed, going for 864 yards and 10 touchdowns on 4.5 yards per carry.

I felt Wisconsin had a really talented room in 2025 with Dilin Jones, who is now at LSU, Dupree, and Gideon Ituka, and we saw some big flashes from all three of them when healthy. Unfortunately, Jones had a turf toe injury, missing half the year, and Ituka suffered a serious injury against Oregon.

The issue for the Badgers’ offense was twofold: 1) their run blocking has been suboptimal the last two years, and 2) the lack of a passing threat forced crowded boxes and defense to not respect the aerial threat as much.

This year, Wisconsin is hoping to have a much better season up front with the offensive line, and they’ve got another really talented running back.

Abu Sama III is Wisconsin’s best running back since Braelon Allen. Dupree is still a key piece and should see a ton of third-down action as a pass-catching and pass-protection back while rotating in with Sama. Bryan Jackson averaged 5.2 yards per carry as a freshman at USC and is finally healthy at 6’0, 235 pounds. And Nate Palmer is an underrated change-of-pace depth back.

There’s quality depth in the room, but also high-end talent. Perhaps the biggest factor of it all is Colton Joseph’s ability to work with his legs. Wisconsin has not had a serious rushing threat at quarterback over the last few years, which has hampered the offense in those crowded boxes. Now, defenses are forced to account for the quarterback run.

Linebackers take the next step

It cannot be overstated how big of game-changers Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano truly were last season. Wisconsin quite literally won a game because of the impact they had against Washington. Now imagine that over a full season.

Last year was a big learning experience for the two talented freshmen. Now, they’ve got a year under their belt and are looking even better heading into Year 2. Posa’s versatility should be huge for the defense as both a pass rusher and an inside linebacker. Catalano has a great mind and eye for the ball as a playmaking machine.

Both are developing into leaders, and they’re also rarely in the wrong position, missing plays. Wisconsin is going to have a high floor defensively because of those two players. And their linebacker room is also deep with touted recruit Thomas Heiberger finally healthy and freakishly athletic Jon Jon Kamara ready for a bigger role.

This is a very talented room and one that should shape the Badgers defense in 2025.

A floor at quarterback

I’ve said numerous times that I don’t know what to expect from Colton Joseph this year. There has been growth when it comes to comfortability in the offense, but there are still questions about how he’ll look as a passer, which have yet to be answered by fall camp reports.

But if there’s one thing to say for sure, it’s that Wisconsin should have a stable floor at quarterback. Now, I’m not saying the offense is stable, as Joseph could be very volatile himself. But his rushing threat completely changes Wisconsin’s offense into a more dynamic threat.

More importantly, Joseph has shown confidence and willingness to test the defense vertically. If you want defenses to respect the passing game and not crowd the box, having a vertical attack is important, and Joseph has been willing to search for those shots.

He’s also been very efficient as a runner in his career, and that ability can help mask some of his inconsistencies in the pocket, as he’s able to extend plays.

I’m not sure truly what the ceiling for Joseph is in 2026, but the Badgers do have a stable floor at quarterback.

Athleticism

Honestly, a big part of the issue for Wisconsin over the past few years has been athleticism and physicality. The latter part will only truly get tested in games, but Wisconsin did a lot to revamp its athleticism this offseason.

They’ve added a ton of speed, size, and true athletes to the mix, betting on upside in a lot of cases. We see this clearly at cornerback, where Wisconsin is far more athletic than they were a season.

Javan Robinson and Eric Fletcher are both fast cornerbacks who have ability. The entire linebacker room moves very well sideline to sideline. Up front, they’ve got speedy Nick Clayton off the edge and violence with Charles Perkins and Junior Poyser.

At receiver, Malachi Coleman is a freak at his size, while Shamar Rigby can also go up and get any ball. Those are just some of the examples, but it feels like Wisconsin has improved a lot on the athleticism side.

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