You don’t need anonymous coaches to tell you that Wisconsin football was a mess in 2025.

But sometimes it helps to hear how bluntly the rest of the league sees it.

In Athlon Sports’ 2026 College Football Preview, one Big Ten coach did not exactly dance around the issue.

“They scored 81 points in nine conference games. I don’t care who your quarterback is. That speaks to a lot of bigger issues than just the quarterback position,” an anonymous Big Ten coach told Athlon Sports.

“There are teams in the conference who could not throw a single pass and score more than nine points per game. It also speaks to, defensively, your ability to make turnovers, and special teams, your ability to make kicks. I thought it was a whole package thing.”

That is harsh, but it’s also hard to argue with.

Wisconsin absolutely had quarterback problems last season. Maryland transfer Billy Edwards Jr. got hurt. Danny O’Neil was forced into action, then got hurt. Hunter Simmons had his turn, but couldn’t take care of the ball. Carter Smith eventually entered the picture. It was not a normal year at the most important position on the field, and that context matters.

By season’s end, Wisconsin had become the first Badgers team since 1956 to have four different quarterbacks attempt at least 10 passes in a season, and the only Big Ten program to do so in 2025.

But the quarterback carousel also exposed something deeper.

The Badgers finished 132nd nationally in offensive EPA per play, 131st in EPA per dropback, and 115th in EPA per rush, per Game on Paper. They ranked 135th nationally in scoring offense at 12.8 points per game, averaged 253 yards per game, and threw for just 136.4 yards per contest.

That is not just bad quarterback play. That is system-wide dysfunction.

The offensive line had very little depth and was constantly shuffled. The run game never became reliable. The passing game lacked answers. Wisconsin could not consistently create explosives, sustain drives, or put players in position to steal easy yards. At some point, injuries stop being the explanation and start becoming part of a larger failure to adjust.

And while the offense deservedly absorbed most of the criticism, the defense wasn’t without fault either. Wisconsin finished dead last nationally in turnovers forced with just five interceptions and one fumble recovery, ranked 73rd in defensive EPA per dropback, and struggled to defend the pass consistently. The pass rush improved, and the run defense was great, but the complementary football simply wasn’t there.

The next anonymous coach took that criticism a step further.

“Truthfully, I was surprised that both Wisconsin and Maryland decided to run it back with their head coaches,” another anonymous coach told Athlon Sports. “I wasn’t really impressed with either one of those teams. It almost felt like they didn’t really know who the next guy was gonna be, so they decided they’d rather have a year to prepare a move like that.”

Plenty of Wisconsin fans probably felt the same way when “Fire Fickell” chants started raining through Camp Randall Stadium.

Luke Fickell is 17-21 at Wisconsin, including 10-17 in Big Ten play. The Badgers have missed back-to-back bowl games, failed to produce an NFL Draft pick for the first time since 1978, and looked a lot closer to being a bottom-feeder in the conference than a serious contender.

In the midst of all those struggles, the athletic director, Chris McIntosh, publicly backed Fickell and promised more financial resources to the program. Then, to Wisconsin’s credit, the Badgers responded by knocking off AP Top 25 opponents Washington and Illinois down the stretch, showing there was still enough belief inside the locker room to finish the year with some fight. That, coupled with a significant roster investment through NIL and the transfer portal, bought this staff another chance.

Now there is no hiding from the expectations.

FanDuel has Wisconsin’s regular-season win total at 6.5, which feels closer to the national perception of this team. But given the schedule, the roster investment to raise the talent floor, and the years this staff has already had to build its program, seven wins should not be the ceiling.

Eight or nine wins should be on the table.

Wisconsin has seven games at home, including a neutral-site opener against Notre Dame at Lambeau Field, avoids several of the Big Ten’s heavyweights, and draws a schedule that’s far more manageable than the gauntlet this program navigated a year ago. If the increased investment was truly the missing piece, there is little room left for excuses.

And with Shawn Eichorst now stepping in as athletic director, the dynamic changes. McIntosh, who hired Fickell, was tied to him and publicly backed him through some difficult moments, is now with the Big Ten. Eichorst has deep Wisconsin ties and likely isn’t eager to make a coaching change and pay a sizable buyout figure before it’s necessary, but this is no longer the administration that made the original hire.

Fickell got the resources. He got another offseason. He got a schedule that gives them a legitimate opportunity to take a step forward.

Now he and his staff have to deliver.

At this point, there isn’t much left to sell besides results.

We appreciate you taking the time to read our work at BadgerNotes.com. Your support means the world to us and has helped us become a leading independent source for Wisconsin Badgers coverage.

You can also follow Site Publisher Dillon Graff at @DillonGraff on X.

4Warn Weather – A low pressure system moving into the Ohio Valley will bring Southeast Michigan rain chances Sunday and Monday. Rain will be scattered, not an all day event, but you’ll want to have a way to get alerts, especially if you’ll be outdoors.

Tonight temperatures will be a bit more seasonable – good news for those still without power after Friday’s storms. This evening will be comfortable. Most fireworks shows should be ok as rain will be isolated.

Overnight lows will be in the low to mid 60s with a light northeast breeze.

The chance for scattered rain will stay in the forecast tomorrow morning.

On and off rain, and possible thunderstorms, will carry throughout the day Sunday, lingering into the evening hours.

Highs tomorrow will be in the low 80s, and we’ll see more of the same Monday.

Scattered rain and storms are possible into the midday hours Monday before we look to dry out.

Tuesday and Wednesday will feature mostly sunny skies and slightly warmer temperatures, reaching the mid to upper 80s.

The next chance of rain moves in Thursday.