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Wisconsin Badgers will need to master the art of the upset with tough 2025 football schedule

Since Luke Fickell took over as head coach, the Wisconsin Badgers are 1-9 as underdogs. Here's how they can start pulling off more upsets in 2025.
Lorin Cox|
Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell is shown during the first quarter of their game against Purdue Saturday, October 5, 2024 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin.
Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell is shown during the first quarter of their game against Purdue Saturday, October 5, 2024 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

For the Wisconsin Badgers to reach the heights they want to achieve this season, they’re going to have to pull off some upsets.

Based on win totals and odds, Luke Fickell’s squad will likely be an underdog for many of their key games this season.

They’ll need to embrace that David and Goliath role and surprise some teams this year.

The problem is, since Fickell took over as head coach, Wisconsin is 1-9 as underdogs.

That record will have to improve for the team to get back to a bowl game this season.

The Badgers should be favored against teams like Maryland and Middle Tennessee, but the rest of the matchups will be tighter battles.

To pull off some upsets, Wisconsin has a couple of possible approaches to take, which could be matchup dependent.

For some opponents, it might be smarter to take a conservative, ball-control approach.

Slowing the game down, sticking to the running game and shooting for a low-scoring contest can be effective if you’re worried about the firepower of the opposing offense.

Sometimes, keeping the ball out of their hands is one of the best defensive strategies.

Bigger, more physical teams might be willing to play right into that, though, and grind you down in a war of attrition.

In those cases, the Badgers might be better off going for a more aggressive approach and taking their chances with a high-variance gameplan.

That means taking deep shots on offense and going all-out for turnovers on defense, even if you risk making mistakes along the way.

It’s a boom-or-bust approach, knowing that the only way you’re going to beat the opponent is if you hit on your big plays.

You figure that you were likely to lose anyway, so if you miss on those big plays, you’re not really any worse off.

Wisconsin struggled to execute either of these approaches last season, but an older roster with a new offensive coordinator might be in a better position to pull off a few upsets and get back in bowl game contention.

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Lorin Cox
LORIN COX

Lorin Cox is the managing editor of Wisconsin Badgers on SI. He has been covering Badgers sports since 2014, when he was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin. He previously wrote for the Wisconsin State Journal, NBC Sports Chicago and USA Today Sports Media Group, and he is a former analyst for Pro Football Focus.

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