2026 Wisconsin football stakes rankings: The conference necessities

Three Big Ten games that won’t be used to assess Wisconsin’s season, unless they’re losses

Nov 29, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell looks on during the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

In the first part of this series, I listed the three games which I feel are the lowest profile. Granted, those are arguably the three games that would be the most fireable offenses for Luke Fickell should Wisconsin lose, but as I mentioned in that piece, they’re not games we’ll use as a measuring stick for Fickell’s fourth season come January.

This article will reveal the games I’ve ranked seventh through ninth on an important scale, beginning to fully dig into the conference slate. 

9. Oct. 17 at UCLA

25 years have passed since the Badgers last did battle with the Bruins, with the most recent coming in the 2000 Sun Bowl, and a 1999 Rose Bowl showdown not long before that. I’m stoked to see the two teams meet again and especially excited to see Wisconsin back at the Rose Bowl. That being said, I find this game to be one of lesser importance in the grand scheme of things for Fickell and company. 

Bob Chesney is fresh on the UCLA job after a successful two seasons at James Madison. I think he has a chance to be successful and lead the Bruins back to a more respectable state, but at the end of the day, it’s his first season and replicating the success of the last JMU coach to make the jump to the Big Ten will be near impossible.

I don’t think UCLA will be as bad as it was a season ago, but for Fickell, in year four you simply can’t lose to a rebuilding program with a first-year head coach if you want to keep your job. This is another game like those of the previous list where it's a must-win in a sense, but I have it low on this list simply because a loss here would spark conversations about the program moving in a different direction, not how Wisconsin looked in the 2026 season.

Outside of bowl-game meetings decades ago, this game holds no rivalry value, and is another one where the Badgers need to take care of business and not open the door for any difficult discussions with a loss.

Dec 12, 2020; Pasadena, California, USA; Signage featuring UCLA Bruins defensive lineman Osa Odighizuwa (92) and running back Demetric Felton (10) and quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson (1) and head coach Chip Kelly is seen on the Rose Bowl Stadium facade before a game between UCLA and the USC Trojans. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

8. Nov. 14 at Maryland

Badger fans are more excited to see the team at the Rose Bowl than in College Park, that much I’m sure of. But, with the way the Terrapins came into Camp Randall and punked Wisconsin in 2025, I have to imagine that this one is scheduled on calendars in the locker room, which is why I’m ranking it slightly higher. 

You aren’t evaluated at Wisconsin based on how you perform against Maryland, which is why this game is still fairly low on the list, but there has to at least be some emphasis on the contest because of how last season’s meeting unfolded. 

At the end of the day, however, Fickell wasn’t brought here to compete with the Terrapins, he was brought here under the expectation that he would compete with the league’s top teams and handle business against teams like Maryland. He hasn’t done so thus far, but it’s not a secret that that’s the expectation for 2026 or he’ll be without a job. 

Like UCLA, there’s really not much rivalry juice here, it’s a game Wisconsin simply needs to win to get back to where it wants to be, and it should have no shortage of motivation after the beatdown in 2025. 

Sep 20, 2025; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers running back Darrion Dupree (6) rushes with the football as Maryland Terrapins defensive back Jalen Huskey (22) defends during the third quarter at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

7. Nov. 21 at Purdue

Fickell hasn’t struggled with the Boilermakers in two meetings. After a season with no meeting, fans are likely excited to see Purdue back on the schedule for that exact reason. I share that excitement, as the Boilermakers may be the worst conference opponent record-wise. The reason for being ranked over three Big Ten opponents, in my eyes, is where the game falls on the schedule.

This game screams trap-game to me. No, Purdue probably won’t be any good, but Ross-Ade Stadium has a history of being problematic for opponents, albeit not so much in recent years. The timing of this game is what scares me. With the following Friday being the rivalry tilt against Minnesota, this is a game that would be very easy for a team to overlook. 

Wisconsin would likely have to not only overlook the Boilermakers, but beat themselves to actually lose this game. But, losing to Minnesota in consecutive seasons is not something that’s taken lightly, meaning Fickell will need to have his guys ready to avoid a major letdown in the week prior to fighting to reclaim Paul Bunyan’s Axe.

Overall, it’s arguably the most winnable game outside of the two non-conference matchups discussed in the first article of this series, but its position on the schedule could allow for it to be closer than fans or anyone in the program would like.