The University of Wisconsin football program has spent the better part of nine months trying to build something different.
Now Luke Fickell is about to find out how much of that work actually translates when the games count.
Wisconsin officially shifted into Week 1 preparation ahead of its season opener against No. 4 Notre Dame at Lambeau Field, and Fickell’s first game-week availability reflected the uncertainty that comes with it.
The Badgers feel good about the progress they made during fall camp. They believe the roster is deeper, the leadership is stronger, and the pieces fit together better than they did a year ago. But Fickell also acknowledged there are things Wisconsin simply cannot know until the lights come on.
That includes how his new quarterback responds, which offensive linemen will actually be available and, perhaps most importantly, how much Wisconsin has closed the gap on one of the country’s best teams.
Here are three takeaways from Fickell’s Week 1 media availability.
Wisconsin is about to find out how much it has actually closed the gap
There has been plenty of discussion this offseason about Wisconsin’s increased investment, roster overhaul, and belief that the program is better positioned to compete.
Notre Dame provides an immediate measuring stick for all of it.
Fickell isn’t pretending otherwise.
“We’ve kind of looked at, hey, this is no better way than what we’ve talked about,” Fickell said. “We got to find a way to close a gap. Well, we’re going to find out where we are in closing that gap.”
That’s probably the most interesting part of opening against a team of Notre Dame’s caliber.
Wisconsin doesn’t get the luxury of easing into the season before learning where it stands. The Irish return a significant portion of the core from a team that won 10 straight games to close the 2025 regular season, and Fickell pointed specifically to their retention, both on the roster and coaching staff, as something increasingly uncommon in college football.
For a Wisconsin program entering Year 4 under Fickell after three consecutive seasons of declining results, there won’t be much hiding from the answer.
“If they’re really the number one team or the number two team or number three team in the country or the odds on favorite to be the national champ, whatever,” Fickell said. “I mean, we’re going to find out real quick what gaps there were and what we’ve seen and where we are.”
That doesn’t mean one game determines whether Wisconsin’s offseason overhaul worked. Fickell was careful to frame this as the beginning of a longer journey. But after an offseason spent talking about what this roster could become if everything comes together, Notre Dame gives the Badgers an immediate opportunity to put something tangible on film.
And Fickell understands the pressure surrounding that opportunity.
“I think everybody understands and recognizes, maybe that there’s a little different pressure in the world today, in particular for us,” Fickell said.
Now they get to find out what they’ve actually built.
Fickell wants Colton Joseph aggressive, but everything starts with his decisions
Few of Wisconsin’s unknowns matter more than Colton Joseph.
The Old Dominion transfer has played plenty of college football, but Fickell has never stood on the sideline with him when the games count.
That’s something no amount of fall camp can replicate.
“We got a new quarterback that we feel really good about,” Fickell said of Joseph. “But we also have never seen him truly play a game and looked in the eyes of those things. That’s what I think, us, as coaches, continues to drive us and motivate us, but also keep us up at night.”
Wisconsin doesn’t need Joseph to become something he isn’t against Notre Dame. In fact, Fickell’s message appears to be almost the opposite.
He wants Joseph, the 2025 Sun Belt Player of the Year, to trust the players around him, take what the defense gives him, and let his natural ability be part of the offense rather than feel responsible for carrying it.
“At the quarterback position in particular, it comes down to decision-making, right?” Fickell said. “I mean, it’s knowing your strengths and playing to them.”
That becomes especially important because Wisconsin isn’t planning to put restrictions on what makes Joseph dangerous. His legs are a significant reason the Badgers brought him to Madison. Fickell believes Joseph’s mobility can create outside of structure, buy additional time and even alter how aggressively defenses rush Wisconsin’s offensive line.
There is obviously risk involved whenever your quarterback gets involved in the running game. Fickell doesn’t want that reality making Joseph hesitant.
“The whole idea is there’s no plan B,” Fickell said. “We’re not trying to save things. We’ve got to be aggressive. We’ve got to be able to do the thing we need to be able to do.”
That’s the balance Wisconsin has to find.
Joseph’s running ability can change the calculation for an offense that desperately needs another dimension. But against a Notre Dame defense, Fickell expects to challenge receivers with man coverage and field one of the most talented defensive fronts Wisconsin will see all season; careless decisions with the football could turn the game quickly.
Fickell’s benchmark is relatively simple: protect the football, trust what’s around you, and don’t try to manufacture something that isn’t there.
“It’s all about making sure you trust and believe in the people that are around you, and you take what is there,” Fickell said.
Wisconsin still doesn’t know what its offensive line will look like
For all the progress Wisconsin believes it made during fall camp, its biggest unresolved personnel question hasn’t gone away.
Fickell still couldn’t say who will comprise the starting five for offensive line coach Eric Mateos against Notre Dame.
Kevin Heywood and Emerson Mandell missed significant portions of fall camp with injuries, but both have returned in some capacity. Fickell said each took reps Sunday, although their availability remains uncertain.
“That’ll be a little bit closer towards a game-time decision,” Fickell said of their status. “Both of them took some reps today. But that’s the one spot probably on the offensive line that, you know, this week is going to be a lot of determining factors.”
Wisconsin has alternatives.
Lucas Simmons, the Florida State transfer, has stepped in at right tackle with Heywood unavailable, while Stylz Blackmon and Blake Cherry have been among the Badgers’ options filling in for Mandell at right guard. PJ Wilkins, Colin Cubberly and Austin Kawecki have provided considerably more stability across the left side and middle of the offensive line.
But Notre Dame isn’t exactly an ideal opponent for an offensive line still sorting itself out.
Fickell expects the Irish to have one of the most talented defensive fronts that Wisconsin encounters all season, and he acknowledged the Badgers could use several combinations up front in the opener.
“I couldn’t tell you today, right now, who’s going to be up there up front to start, right?” Fickell admitted. “And there could be a combination. And I bet you that you will see a lot of guys play.”
That’s not necessarily the long-term plan.
Fickell made clear that Wisconsin isn’t treating the opener as a tryout. Some of the rotation is a product of circumstances, and the Badgers eventually want continuity up front. The more interesting piece is how the staff plans to compensate while that group develops.
Fickell repeatedly returned to balance, but not in the traditional sense of evenly dividing run and pass attempts. He wants Joseph’s mobility, the running backs’ ability to win one-on-one matchups, and the offensive line to complement one another so the offense doesn’t require perfect blocking.
“I think we’ve got a group of backs that are going to give us a chance that if everything isn’t perfect, they can play through imperfect,” Fickell said.
“And I think we got a guy, a group of guys up front on the offensive line that, you know, as they build their confidence, as they build their, you know, their ability to play together, that they will be able to play through imperfect a lot better than I think we have in the last couple of years.”
Against Notre Dame, Wisconsin may need exactly that.
There are still questions about the offensive line, questions about Joseph, and questions about how all the new pieces respond when the environment changes from fall camp to Lambeau Field.
Fickell has spent the offseason saying he likes where this team is. Now comes the first real test.
Wisconsin opens the season against the No. 4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Lambeau Field on Sunday, Sept. 6, at 6:30 p.m. CT on NBC. That’s when the Badgers begin finding out whether there was reason to believe.
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