Wisconsin Football: Reasons to Remain Hopeful Despite Rocky Start to “New Era”

In what was projected to be one of the Badgers’ easiest clashes of the season, Luke Fickell’s Wisconsin football team (5-4, 3-3 B1G) fell 20-14 to the Indiana Hoosiers (3-6, 1-5 B1G) at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. After handing Tom Allen’s Hoosiers their first conference win of the season, the Badgers would now need a miracle to win the Big Ten West and compete for the conference championship in December.

The highly anticipated “New Era” in Madison hasn’t gotten off to a good start on paper, and some Badger fans are even beginning to question head coach Luke Fickell and offensive coordinator Phil Longo’s fit with the Wisconsin football program. But in only year one of this massive rebuild, there is still a lot more to look forward to than hanging your head about if you are a Badger fan.

Let’s dive into three reasons to stay optimistic about the Wisconsin Badgers.

Wisconsin Football is Still a Big Ten Contender With a Healthy Lineup

Braelon Allen, Tanner Mordecai, Chimere Dike, and Chez Mellusi have all missed significant time in the Badgers lineup this season due to unfortunate injuries. With their four best and most experienced offensive players sidelined in the midst of conference play, why is anyone surprised that Wisconsin is losing close games to able opponents? Heck, you could be Alabama or Michigan and still sit at .500 with your four best offensive players sidelined well into the season.

It’s reasonable to assume that the Badgers would likely sit on top of the Big Ten West with two overall losses this season if they had stayed healthy on the offensive side of the ball. Mordecai would have likely commanded a game-winning drive at some point in the second half against Iowa during Week 7, and the likes of Allen and Mellusi surely would have lifted the Badgers past a weak Indiana defense on Saturday. On top of that, we will never know how Wisconsin’s matchup against Ohio State would have looked like with more experience and poise on the ball in the second half.

It is unfair to expect redshirt freshman Braedyn Locke to lead an already unhealthy side to anything close to what was expected of the Badgers ahead of the season. Three months ago, Wisconsin football fans would have predicted a 6-6 season at best without their four stars running the offense.

Returning Players Will Bring More Chemistry & Talent to the Table

The likes of Braedyn Locke, Will Pauling, Ricardo Hallman, and more key players are expected to return to Fickell’s squad next season. Following an offseason built off of coaching changes, rampant transfers, and national pressure, team chemistry was expected to be an issue ahead of the Badgers’ Week 1 kickoff in September.

It typically takes a season or two of facing adversity before a team begins chasing an ultimate goal, and the Badgers will fall right into that category. Locke has already earned critical experience this season against Iowa and Ohio State, while Pauling and fellow wide receiver Bryson Green have come up big for the Badgers while the rest of the receiving group wasn’t finding openings.

All three players, plus the talents of sophomore cornerback Ricardo Hallman, sophomore running back Jackson Acker, and transfer receiver C.J. Wiliams have collectively suffered the hardships this season has presented and will enter 2024 hungry to show America what the “New Era” is really about.

Head coach Luke Fickell brought Cincinnati to the College Football Playoff in 2021 out of absolutely nowhere. Offensive coordinator Phil Longo averaged over 500 yards per game at Ole Miss and coached Sam Howell and Drake Maye into the remarkable quarterbacks they are today in Chapel Hill. Wisconsin’s staff has the keys to maneuver this program in the right direction, toward national glory.

Wisconsin Football Recruiting is On the Rise

Fickell and his staff have already proven to be excellent recruiters, and are yet to utilize any highly anticipated 2024 and 2025 Wisconsin commits.

The Badgers currently hold the 17th-best 2024 recruiting class per Rivals, including 10 four-star and 11 three-star prospects. The class will look to continue Wisconsin’s reputation as “Running Back University”, adding 92-overall Dilin Jones and 86-overall Gideon Ituka both out of Maryland, and 89-overall Darion Dupree out of Chicago as rated by 247. Four-stars TE Grant Stec and OT Kevin Heywood will add to the Badgers offense as well, accompanied by nationally recognized defensive recruits CB Xavier Lucas, DL Dillan Johnson, and Edge Anelu Lafaele.

The “New Era” doesn’t officially kick off until Fickell can implement his desired talents into the Wisconsin football team’s playbook. College football is a bottom-up process that can only be perfected with a vision for the future, and Coach Fick knows what’s best for his plans going forward. Breathe Badger fans, the Paul Chryst era is over. In the near future, exceptional talent will be flowing once again through Camp Randall, with several NFL-worthy talents on both sides of the ball.

It might take one or two more years to completely connect the dots, but we’re already halfway through the most difficult season of Wisconsin football’s gigantic rebuild.

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