Wisconsin

Minnesota Opponent First Look: Wisconsin Badgers

Published

1 year ago

November 27, 2024

Minnesota Opponent First Look: Wisconsin Badgers

The Minnesota Golden Gophers, losers of two straight will look to finish the 2024 regular season on a high note on Friday afternoon when they travel to Madison to take on the Wisconsin Badgers. The Badgers enter Friday with a 5-6 record and are in danger of missing a bowl game for the first time in 22 years.

Wisconsin 2024 Schedule & Betting Trends

COV = covered, DNC = Did not cover

WISCONSIN OFFENSIVE & DEFENSIVE RANKINGS

The second year of Luke Fickell era not going to plan

The Badgers had hoped the second year of the Luke Fickell era would be more fruitful. After a 7-6 season last year, the Badgers went into the transfer portal this offseason and upgraded their quarterback position by nabbing former Miami (FL) starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke.

Van Dyke would play in just two full games before suffering a season-ending injury against Alabama in the third week of the season. Since then, the Huskers have looked towards redshirt freshman Braedyn Locke to lead the offense. As with most young quarterbacks, the results have been mixed. This season, Locke has completed 56.4% of his passes for 1,806 yards and 12 touchdowns while throwing 10 interceptions.

Overall, the Badgers started the season off 2-0 with wins over Western Michigan and South Dakota before falling to Alabama and USC. In October, it appeared that Fickell’s program was finding its stride with four straight wins over Purdue, Rutgers, and Northwestern but have since lost four straight games.

The Badgers made a change at OC midseason

The Badgers fired their offensive coordinator, Phil Longo, earlier this month following a 16-13 loss to the Oregon Ducks. Longo came to Madison with the hopes of bringing the Air Raid offense to the Big Ten, but the transition to the offense has been largely unsuccessful for the Badgers.

This season, the Badgers are averaging just 24.7 points per game, their lowest mark since 2004. Additionally, their passing attack has only garnered 202.7 yards per game ranking 93rd nationally, their rushing attack is slightly better when it comes to nationally ranked with 164.4 yards per game, ranking 65th.

In their first game without Longo last weekend against Nebraska, the Huskers totaled 25 points and 407 yards from scrimmage including 292 passing yards.

SERIES HISTORY

Friday will be the 134th meeting between the two programs since their first meeting in 1890. Through the first 133 matchups, the series is as tight as possible with Wisconsin holding a 63-8-62 advantage over the Gophers. The Gophers for a long time held the series advantage but a 14-game winning streak from 2004 through 2017, shifted the series in favor of Wisconsin. The Gophers over the P.J. Fleck era have been working to even it back up, doing so in 2022 with a a 23-16 win in Madison before the Badgers reclaimed the lead with a 28-14 win last season.

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Wisconsin

Worker in stable condition after crane accident at Madison construction site

Published

11 hours ago

February 1, 2026

Press Room

Worker in stable condition after crane accident at Madison construction site

A worker is in stable condition after a crane dropped a massive beam at the site of the future Wisconsin History Center on Madison’s Capitol Square, where construction is now paused.

The Madison Fire Department responded to the incident around 9:30 a.m. Jan. 31. A construction crane dropped a beam weighing 20,000 to 30,000 pounds, which fell about 50 feet through sublevels of construction.

One employee fell with the beam; he was taken to a hospital with critical injuries. It is unclear where he fell in relation to the beam. Crews rescued another, uninjured employee who was stranded with the crane above the site. No other injuries were reported.

The injured employee has not been identified. Findorff, a Madison-based construction company overseeing the project, said in a Feb. 1 statement that the worker is in stable condition at a nearby hospital.

“The health and safety of our employees and everyone on our job sites is our highest priority. Work on site has been paused, and we are working closely with local authorities and safety officials as we work to determine the cause of the incident,” Findorff said.

The fire department was dispatched to the corner of State Street and Fairchild Street, or the 100 Block of State Street.

That exact location lines up with a building that houses Ian’s Pizza, which is not under construction. But it’s across the street from the construction site for the future Wisconsin History Center.

The Wisconsin State Journal first reported the incident happened at the center’s buildout site.

A $106.5 million center is replacing the former state historical museum, which was demolished in late 2024. The new project broke ground in April 2025 and is expected to open in 2027.

The project is led by the Wisconsin Historical Society, which is simultaneously a state government agency and a private membership organization.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel requested comment from the Wisconsin Historical Society and asked the Occupational Safety and Health Administration whether it is investigating the incident.

The five-story, 100,000-square-foot facility will include a lobby, classrooms, rotating exhibits, permanent galleries and a rooftop terrace. The project received bipartisan support; former Govs. Jim Doyle and Tommy Thompson co-chaired the fundraising campaign.

Hope Karnopp can be reached at HKarnopp@usatodayco.com.

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin lawmakers hear bill to codify IHRA antisemitism | The Jerusalem Post

Published

24 hours ago

February 1, 2026

Press Room

Wisconsin lawmakers hear bill to codify IHRA antisemitism | The Jerusalem Post

The Wisconsin Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety held a public hearing last week on bipartisan legislation aimed at strengthening the state’s response to antisemitism by formally adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism into state law.

The bill, SB 445, would require state and local authorities to use the IHRA definition, including its 11 contemporary examples, when evaluating discriminatory intent in civil rights violations and determining enhanced penalties for hate crimes. The measure is sponsored by a bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Senators Rob Hutton, Rachael Cabral-Guevara, Dianne Hesselbein, Jesse James, Brad Pfaff, Patrick Testin, Jamie Wall, Van Wanggaard, and Bob Wirch.

A companion bill, AB 446, sponsored by a broad coalition in the Wisconsin Assembly, was heard earlier this year by the Committee on State Affairs.

The legislation states that government entities and officials should consider the IHRA definition when assessing whether crimes or discriminatory acts were motivated by race, religion, color, or national origin, particularly in cases involving enhanced criminal penalties.

The bill is supported by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), whose representatives testified during the hearing at the State Capitol in Madison.

CAM Director of State Engagement David Soffer told lawmakers that the bill would provide clarity and consistency in addressing antisemitism.

“SB 445 will make a difference in combating antisemitism,” Soffer said. “It helps identify what is, and just as importantly, what is not, antisemitism, and gives state institutions the tools they need to properly recognize and address antisemitic conduct. The Jewish community is asking for action, and this bill answers that call.”

Also testifying was CAM Public Affairs Officer Natalie Sanandaji, a survivor of the October 7 Hamas attacks. She warned lawmakers that contemporary antisemitism increasingly disguises itself as political activism.

“When people call for October 7 to be repeated, when they chant to ‘globalize the intifada’ or glorify those who carried out mass murder, they are not calling for peace,” Sanandaji said. “They are calling for the killing of Jews.”

Written testimony was also submitted by CAM President of U.S. Affairs Alyza Lewin, who emphasized that the IHRA definition does not restrict legitimate political speech.

“The IHRA definition provides a framework for identifying modern antisemitism while protecting free expression,” Lewin wrote. “It does not prohibit criticism of Israel. It simply draws the line when criticism becomes demonization, delegitimization, or the application of double standards to Jews or the Jewish state.”

“Hate that is ignored does not disappear,” she added. “It escalates. If we want to stop antisemitic violence, we must first be willing to recognize antisemitism in all its contemporary forms.”

According to data compiled by CAM’s Antisemitism Research Center, 37 U.S. states have now adopted the IHRA definition in some form. Wisconsin’s proposal is part of a broader nationwide effort to address rising antisemitism through legislation, education, and law enforcement coordination.

Over the past year, CAM has worked closely with lawmakers in multiple states on similar initiatives. Legislative efforts have been introduced in Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, with six of those states enacting new laws since April 2025.

In June, elected officials and senior government representatives from 17 states gathered in Kansas City for the first-ever CAM-organized State Leadership Summit on Antisemitism, aimed at coordinating policy responses and sharing best practices nationwide.

If enacted, SB 445 would place Wisconsin among a growing number of states using the IHRA definition as a formal tool to confront antisemitism in law enforcement, education, and public policy.

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