Wisconsin Football: Defining Success from This Point Forward

The hype surrounding Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin Badgers football team reached a fever pitch around the time they began fall camp. 

After three consecutive seasons of failing to win the Big Ten West — most people, myself included, thought the Badgers were a shoo-in to reclaim that title and make an appearance in Indy against one of the Goliaths from the East. 

But I was dead wrong in that prediction — and have to own that. 

Instead, the Wisconsin Badgers have been a middling team with woeful inconsistencies on both sides of the ball throughout different parts of the season. However, I must give credit to defensive coordinator Mike Tressel for making some crucial adjustments; he has his unit playing some of its best ball of the season compared to the early slate of games.  

Either way, Wisconsin football is currently sitting at 5-4 and holds a 3-3 record in Big Ten play — with a signature win against…Illinois? 

So now is a good time with three weeks left to play — to regroup and discuss what a successful end of the season would look like for the Badgers. 

What Would Make It a Successful Season for Wisconsin Football at This Point?

Assessing what could make this season a success from this point onward, the “to-do” list for Wisconsin football to salvage what’s left of the season is quite simple because all they can do is focus on what they can control.

The easy answer here is that the Badgers win all three of their remaining games — but given the uncertainties surrounding Braelon Allen, Chimere Dike, and even Tanner Mordecai, that seems unlikely given what just transpired against the Indiana Hoosiers last weekend.

Instead, what I want to see more than anything is the Wisconsin Badgers football team keep their chins up — and find a way to, at the very least, win its trophy games against Nebraska at home and, more importantly, bring the Axe back where it belongs and stomp PJ Fleck and the Gophers on the road in the regular season finale.

By doing that — the Wisconsin Badgers can recapture a sense of pride, become bowl-eligible for the 22nd consecutive season — and build some positive momentum to carry into next season. If they finish strong, UW could wind up with an 8 or 9-win season — which, despite our preseason expectations, wouldn’t be a terrible start to the Luke Fickell era.

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