Wisconsin football showing life in stacked Big Ten

Wisconsin football showing life in stacked Big Ten

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Wisconsin football showing life in stacked Big Ten

Wisconsin football showing life in stacked Big Ten originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Wisconsin Badgers beat their first ranked opponent this season on the road against the then 13th-ranked Penn State. Happy Valley wasn't so happy after the dramatic upset. Are the Badgers finally showing signs of life?

Luke Fickell and the Badgers were faced with an early-season test squaring off against Notre Dame in week one. The final score was expected for the Irish, but they got a run for their money in the first half.

Wisconsin showcased a glimpse of their strong defensive front and weapons on offense.

The score was only 13-10 at halftime and was the early sighting of an upset. It was the strongest the Badgers had performed under Fickell, until Saturday.

For the first time under Fickell, Wisconsin went heavy in the portal this offseason after finishing 4-8 last season. 33 transfers were brought in, and 17 of them were on offense. There is no doubt that Fickell is on the hot seat, and this win potentially bought him more time.

The Badgers started the game slowly and fell into a 17-0 hole in the first half.

Something changed in the second half though, because they outscored Penn State 24-3 in the second half. Wisconsin has been winless in Happy Valley since 2003, and he expressed how proud he was of his team.

"The way they came back, and we kept fighting, we saw it a little bit at the end of last year, and this is what we are, and this is who we need to be. We could make it a lot cleaner, but I'm so proud of these guys. This is something I don't think a lot of people thought was going to happen. I know a lot of people, maybe back home, didn't know it either, but this team is getting better."

They are getting better, and it was evident from week one against a talented and well-coached Notre Dame team. Results have been hard to come by for Fickell in Wisconsin with a 17-21 record in his time as head coach, but this could be the year of a new chapter.

While the Badgers are looking on the upside with Fickell as the shogun, will this season end like all the previous ones or be the start of something special?

They start the season 3-1 and look to continue making steps in the upward direction. USC, Iowa, and UCLA (all ranked teams) are on the schedule and will prove to be even tougher games.

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