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ESPN sees Wisconsin Badgers football as 'a couple of breaks away' from going on a run in 2025

If everything lines up the way the Wisconsin Badgers hope it will, they could put up more of a fight than many people are expecting. The problem is, not everything will go perfectly.
Lorin Cox|
Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell is shown during the third quarter of their game Saturday, October 14, 2023 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin.
Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell is shown during the third quarter of their game Saturday, October 14, 2023 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. | Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

No one views the Wisconsin Badgers as a serious Big Ten or College Football Playoff contender this season, but they could still make some noise in 2025.

ESPN's Bill Connelly left the door open for Luke Fickell and company to bounce back this fall in his latest Big Ten preview.

Connelly categorized the Badgers among teams that are "a couple of breaks away from a run" this year, but he definitely has his doubts.

The secondary should be awesome, and the run game could be too. But between the offensive collapse and a ridiculous schedule featuring four projected top-10 opponents in a seven-week span, this is the least optimistic I've felt about Wisconsin in a while. Prove me wrong, Badgers.
Bill Connelly, ESPN

In his analysis, Connelly sees Billy Edwards Jr. as an upgrade over previous Wisconsin transfer quarterbacks, and he's excited about the young backfield of Dilin Jones and Darrion Dupree.

He's still concerned about how well the defense will bounce back, counting on some key transfers up front to make them more stout against the run.

But this feels like a team that, if everything lines up the way they hope it will, could put up more of a fight than many people are expecting.

The problem is, not everything will go perfectly. Not every young player will take the big step forward the Badgers need, and not every transfer player will live up to high expectations.

Wisconsin just needs enough of their gambles to pay off, and that's when they could go on a run.

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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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