Wisconsin football goes from being a three-touchdown underdog in its opener to being nearly a six-touchdown favorite in Week 2.

Even as heavy favorites, it sets up for a fascinating Saturday night. How do the Badgers look against an extremely overmatched opponent? What can we glean from their performance? Do we continue to see signs that Wisconsin is returning to the Wisconsin of old — namely physicality, a downhill running game and a swarming defense?

Below, the Badgers On SI staff offers up picks for what’s universally considered a tune-up game:

Seamus Rohrer, Editor

Wisconsin should have no problem doing whatever it wants in this game. Western Illinois is an FCS program, yes, but they’re also a weak FCS program that hasn’t had a winning season since 2017. Every single matchup is a mismatch for the Leathernecks who, aside from the skill position talent, don’t nearly have enough size on either side of the ball to stop the Badgers from imposing their will.

In other words, if Wisconsin struggles at all in this one, it’d be extremely concerning. Will it absolutely blow the doors of Western Illinois to the degree that Vegas expects? A lot of that could depend on Wisconsin’s game-plan and how much it keeps the ball on the ground. Even if the Badgers don’t cover the massive spread, I expect wire-to-wire domination Saturday night in Madison.

Prediction: Wisconsin 45, Western Illinois 6

Drew Gentile, Staff Writer

If Wisconsin loses this game, I’ll have a lot to say. But for now, I’ll keep it simple and say I have confidence that Wisconsin dominates this game. Against an inferior FCS opponent, which as Seamus mentioned, hasn’t had much success as of late, this is make-or-break territory for Luke Fickell. Winning by 28 versus 42 points doesn’t jeopardize his job, but it’s a matchup the Badgers should face little resistance in.

As is often the case with these games against inferior opponents, I tend to give the benefit of the doubt to the underdog. Wisconsin is obviously vastly superior, but there are Division I coaches on the other sideline as well, so if the Leathernecks come up with a trick play to set up a score, I wouldn’t be terribly surprised, nor concerned. I think Wisconsin prevails here with ease and gets back on track.

Prediction: Wisconsin 42, Western Illinois 3

Jeremy Schneider, Staff Writer

I’ll go out on a limb here and say I like Wisconsin’s chances of getting in the win column over Western Illinois on Saturday. With that being said, a simple win won’t be satisfactory. Under Luke Fickell, the Badgers haven’t properly dominated their inferior non-conference opponents. While the result was poor at Lambeau Field last week, it wasn’t hard to see an improvement in terms of talent on the field, and with all due respect, the gap between Wisconsin and FCS Western Illinois is significant.

I think Colton Joseph and the Wisconsin offense will be able to move the ball with relative ease, both through the air and on the ground, giving youngsters like freshman Ryan Hopkins a chance to show off their skills late in the game. Domination for Bucky, or else the optimism surrounding a rebound campaign will start to fade.

Prediction: Wisconsin 51, Western Illinois 10

Christian Borman, Staff Writer

The Badgers get a very winnable game after their loss to Notre Dame, but a win shouldn’t be the important part here. The Badgers need to dominate Western Illinois.

Was the first half of the Notre Dame game a fluke? Were the Irish just messing around and not taking the Badgers seriously? Or was that evidence of what the Wisconsin football team can be? If that’s the case, then they need to beat the Leathernecks handily and show everyone they are, in fact, a program on the rise. Anything less than a dominant performance will disappointment.

I’d like to think this team has the ‘all gas and no brakes’ mentality when playing lesser opponents and puts the game away early. This is a game they can prove that’s what they are in 2026.

Prediction: Wisconsin 42, Western Illinois 6

Benjamin Worgull, Staff Writer

Fickell quipped after seeing his team get thoroughly manhandled by Notre Dame in the second half that the “season starts now,” referencing the needed response after getting socked in the mouth. He better be right because Sunday yielded a familiar story against quality competition – look decent and competitive for 30 minutes and then disappear.

Wisconsin’s offense has looked clunky and disjointed during most of Fickell’s tenure, which was the case on Sunday against a talented and deep Irish squad. That’s not what the Badgers will be facing tonight. UW has to start playing well to build some confidence in itself and with a donor base that opened their wallets before the season to help turnaround the program. Another clunky performance won’t sit well with a fanbase that already seems to be on edge.

Prediction: Wisconsin 45, Western Illinois 10

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Wisconsin football will play one of its token buy games Saturday night, as it hosts the Western Illinois Leathernecks from the Football Championship Subdivision, or FCS.

Teams from the second-highest level of American college football are routinely invited to come get blown out by bigger FBS programs for a hefty paycheck, national exposure and the slightest chance at a program-defining victory.

While these games are often nothing more than tune-up games for the FBS program, it’s not at all uncommon for FCS schools pull off the upset. In fact, it already happened three times in Week 1, with Tarleton State taking down Bowling Green, The Citadel upsetting Charlotte and Idaho State toppling Utah State.

Wisconsin football has never fallen victim to an FCS school; the Badgers are a perfect 14-0 against FCS competition. Still, Wisconsin has gotten dangerously close to a few heinous losses at the hands of an FCS program.

As the Badgers get set to host Western Illinois on Saturday, Badgers On SI takes a look at Wisconsin’s history versus the FCS, including the Badgers’ narrowest escapes from crushing upset defeat.

The largest margin of victory

In 2010, the Badgers absolutely blew the doors off Austin Peay, 70-3. Wisconsin quarterback Scott Tolzien had more touchdown passes (three) than incompletions (two), and the Badgers ran for 346 yards. James White had four touchdowns, while he and John Clay each surpassed 100 yards. These kinds of results are what fans expect against an overmatched FCS opponent, but that 2010 Badgers team was elite, going 11-2 with a loss in the Rose Bowl.

The most recent games

Wisconsin has only played one FCS opponent in the Luke Fickell tenure, and it was far from a convincing victory. The Badgers beat South Dakota 27-13 in 2024, and were only up by seven points heading into the fourth quarter. That was very much a competitive game, although it wasn’t as nail-bitingly close as some of Wisconsin’s previous FCS escapes.

In 2022, the last season of the Paul Chryst era got off to a good start with a 38-0 beatdown over Illinois State.

The closest calls

The Badgers’ closest call against an FCS team came in 2008 against Cal Poly. A Wisconsin team that wasn’t all that good and would go on to finish 7-6 needed overtime to put away the Mustangs, 36-35. Cal Poly actually scored first in overtime but didn’t convert the extra point, and the Badgers escaped with a one-point win.

In 2007, Wisconsin still beat The Citadel by two touchdowns, but the Bulldogs refused to go away and competed with the Badgers for four quarters; the final score was 45-31, Wisconsin.

In 2012, Wisconsin hung on against Northern Iowa despite a late push and a 14-point fourth quarter from the Panthers, ultimately winning 26-21.

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