Wisconsin Football: 3 Early Predictions for the 2024 Season

The off-season is in full force for Wisconsin football. The Badgers return for fall camp in early August while the regular season begins August 30. Wisconsin football will open up against Western Michigan at Camp Randall Stadium.

The Big Ten will have a different look as USC, UCLA, Washington, and Oregon joining the conference. As a result, the Badgers schedule looks a lot different. It’s a hard schedule as well, but there is plenty of opportunities to get some nice wins. Here are my early season predictions for the 2024 Wisconsin football season.

Wisconsin Football Beats Either Alabama, Penn State, or Oregon

If you include USC, Wisconsin football has four really tough games on the schedule this year. I bring up Alabama, Oregon, and Penn State because the Badgers get these three games at home. They will have to travel to USC after the Alabama game, but there is a bye week in between,

It’s going to be hard for Wisconsin football to beat Alabama on September 14. They have a chance, but I don’t see them winning that game. I like their chances against both Oregon and Penn State. The Nittany Lions game will be the NBC night game. The atmosphere should be electric.

It will be interesting to see Oregon, who has to replace Bo Nix, travel half way across the country in November and not a night game.

Wisconsin Football Will Have One of the Better Defenses in the Big Ten

It’s hard not to get excited about what Luke Fickell and this staff did in the transfer portal on the defensive side. They recognized Wisconsin football was awful at rushing the passer last season at just two sacks a game.

Right now, this defense has up to eight starters at the linebacker position while improving the defensive line depth too. This front seven will be the key to the team this season.

Hunter Wohler, the leader of this team, returns for his last year at safety. Add in Ricardo Hallman, who is one of the best corners in the Big Ten, and this is a secondary that should have success too.

The Badgers Win At Least 8 Games

Right now, Wisconsin football is seen as winning six or seven games this year. I am not surprised by that number as it is a brutal schedule. Road games against Iowa and Nebraska will be challenging too.

Outside of the Alabama game and potentially the USC game, Wisconsin should be favorites or slight underdogs int he rest of their games. I think there are six games the Badgers should win and then four games it is a 50/50 toss up. The toss up games will be Iowa, Nebraska, Penn State, and Oregon. I don’t see them having issues with Western Michigan, South Dakota, Purdue, Rutgers, Northwestern, and Minnesota.

Assuming Wisconsin football wins those six games and wins half the toss up games, that is already eight wins. I think they can do it and will do it.

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