Wisconsin football's rejuvenating upset of Washington littered with big implications for 2026
Wisconsin earned a 13-10 victory over Washington, the biggest win in the Luke Fickell era, on the backs of young stars who represent the future of the program.
If anyone deserves to live in the moment, it’s the Wisconsin football team.
The Badgers just knocked off No. 23 Washington for their first ranked win since 2021 against No. 9 Iowa. That was 1,470 days ago.
They snapped a six-game losing streak and a 10-game Big Ten losing streak. Hell, they scored a touchdown at home for the first time since Sept. 20.
As Wisconsin fans stormed the field in a freezing, rain-soaked Camp Randall Stadium, the cathartic jubilation was evident. They weren’t thinking about the remaining uphill climb to bowl eligibility, or No. 2 Indiana lurking around the corner next Saturday. They were simply happy to beat a ranked team. To win a Big Ten game. To win any game.
“It feels really good, let’s just say that,” Luke Fickell said postgame. “In this game, you don’t always get what you think you deserve. These guys deserve something because they continue to battle and they continue to fight. Sometimes you’ve got to go earn it, and they did an incredible job of earning it tonight.”
And yet, as “Jump Around” blared on the Camp Randall speakers for the second time that evening in gleeful celebration, I couldn’t help but ponder what this game means for next season.
Now, I’m not necessarily talking about the win itself. Wisconsin is 3-6 and remains an extreme long-shot to play in a bowl game. It’s also already been announced, of course, that Fickell will return as head coach in 2026.
Thus, beating Washington, while enormous for morale, remains rather inconsequential in the big picture.
How did the Badgers beat Washington? Now that’s what has me thinking about next fall.
Wisconsin’s defense played absolutely ferociously, and the catalyst was two true freshman inside linebackers: Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano.
Posa and Catalano announced their arrival in the Oregon game two weeks ago, but the pair were both stunningly dominant against Washington. Posa tallied 11 tackles and 2.5 sacks. One was a strip sack on which he also recovered the fumble deep in Husky territory to set up Wisconsin’s lone touchdown. His last one iced the game on fourth down.
Catalano, meanwhile, piled up a whopping 19 tackles, including 1.5 tackles-for-loss.
The Huskies, who rolled into Madison boasting a passing game and total offense that both ranked inside the top-30 nationally, were completely stymied. Washington’s star quarterback, Demond Williams, threw for a season-low 134 passing yards, while its ground game gained a meager 3.3 yards per carry. The Badgers’ defense racked up nine tackles-for-loss, four sacks, and two turnovers.
With Posa and Catalano, Wisconsin has a pair of legit stars in the middle of the defense. I know it’s only been two starts, but both players simply pop off the screen with their athleticism and instincts. They’re game-wreckers who immediately pass the eye test on the gridiron. The future at linebacker is extremely bright, and that’s the epicenter of the defense. Watching those two play, you can’t help but imagine what a defense built around them could look like.
The defense put together an unbelievable performance, holding its ground, turning back the Huskies again and again as darkness fell in Madison and the possibility of an upset became reality. But on offense, we have to talk about Carter Smith.