There has been no shortage of offseason optimism surrounding the University of Wisconsin football program. But after three straight years of declining results under Luke Fickell, optimism only means so much until we actually see something different on Saturdays.
So before Wisconsin opens the 2026 season against No. 4 Notre Dame at Lambeau Field on Sept. 6, we decided to get a better idea of where the Bucky’s Burrow community actually stands on this team and what it expects from the season ahead.
Readers responded to the preseason survey, weighing in on everything from Fickell’s future and Colton Joseph to Wisconsin’s strongest position groups and every game on the schedule.
The biggest takeaway? There is plenty of belief that Wisconsin is about to get significantly better, certainly more optimism than I have about the Badgers as a whole. But even for a fan base buying into the potential for a turnaround, they don’t expect UW to rejoin the Big Ten’s upper tier.
Wisconsin fans are expecting a pretty significant turnaround
If we turn the game-by-game voting into a preseason prediction, Bucky’s Burrow readers essentially landed on 8-4.
Wisconsin was overwhelmingly picked to beat Western Illinois (99.3%), Eastern Michigan (100%), Michigan State (95.9%), Rutgers (98.6%), Maryland (88.4%), Purdue (98.6%), and Minnesota (88.4%). Another 72.6% believe the Badgers will pick up a win at UCLA.
The skepticism shows up against the better teams.
Only 19.9% picked Wisconsin to upset Notre Dame, while 25.3% expect a win at Penn State. USC received the benefit of the doubt from 63% of respondents, and 69.9% expect the Badgers to lose at Iowa.
I can understand how the fan base gets there entering Year 4, even if I’m not quite ready to project Wisconsin that favorably.
Fans believe the roster overhaul and increased investment should produce considerably better results than last year’s 4-8 finish. Even so, they aren’t ready to assume Wisconsin can beat the teams it ultimately wants to compete with. Nevertheless, the majority still seems willing to pencil in wins elsewhere that I’m not ready to count on just yet. Maybe they’re onto something. I’m just not quite as high on this team.
Still, 97.3% believe Wisconsin will reach a bowl game, and 92.4% expect Fickell to remain the head coach on Jan. 1, 2027.
Given the investment in this roster, reaching a bowl game feels like the bare minimum expectation for Fickell and his staff, although I would have said the same each of the last two years. More interesting is the confidence in Fickell. For a fan base that chanted “Fire Fickell” countless times as Wisconsin lost eight of its final 10 games last season, 92.4% expecting him to make it through Year 4 is a remarkably high number.
There is real belief in Colton Joseph, but questions remain
Perhaps nothing captures the optimism better than how readers view Joseph.
A whopping 87% expect Joseph to be at least an above-average Big Ten quarterback, including 19% who believe he’ll be among the conference’s best. The other 68% expect him to be solid and above average.
Others understandably aren’t willing to buy in yet, or perhaps can’t after watching Wisconsin cycle through seven starting quarterbacks in 37 games under Fickell. At this point, some (myself included) probably just need to see the preferred starter stay healthy and on the field each week before allowing themselves to believe anything has changed.
That confidence also carries over to Wisconsin’s backfield.
Running back received 69.2% of the vote as Wisconsin’s strongest offensive position group, and Abu Sama III was the overwhelming choice at 88.3% to lead the Badgers in rushing.
Wide receiver represents the other side of the equation.
Nearly half of respondents, 49.7%, identified the receiving corps as the offensive group they trust least, followed by the offensive line at 32.7%. Eugene Hilton Jr., however, is the clear favorite among the community to emerge as Wisconsin’s leading receiver, receiving 71% of the vote.
So the expectation seems fairly clear: Joseph and the running game will have to drive this offense until the passing game proves otherwise. The catch is that Wisconsin’s ability to lean on either could depend on the offensive line, another group the fan base clearly has questions about.
Linebacker is the one thing almost everyone agrees on
If there’s one area where Bucky’s Burrow readers aren’t conflicted, it’s Wisconsin’s linebackers.
An overwhelming 93.8% selected linebacker as the defensive position group they trust most. That’s what having rising talents like Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano in the middle of your defense will do.
Sebastian Cheeks was the favorite to lead Wisconsin in sacks at 47.2%, followed by Posa at 25.4% and Nick Clayton at 19%.
The rebuilt cornerback room remains the biggest wait-and-see area.
Despite the influx of talent added through the portal, 53.8% selected cornerback as the defensive group they trust least. There’s considerably more upside in the room, though, and enough pieces in place for that skepticism to eventually look misplaced if the new-look secondary lives up to its potential.
Put everything together, and the expectations are surprisingly consistent.
Bucky’s Burrow readers aren’t predicting Wisconsin to become a College Football Playoff contender, nor should they. They’re expecting something this program desperately needs: a good football team.
After three years of waiting for Fickell’s vision to materialize in Madison, Wisconsin has instead been trending in the wrong direction, going 17-21 overall and 10-17 in Big Ten play. For a football program that has steadily gotten worse, 8-4 and a bowl game appearance would represent exactly the kind of meaningful turnaround this fan base has been waiting for.
Now Wisconsin has to prove the optimism was warranted.
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