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ESPN analyst sees Wisconsin Badgers as 'toss up game' for key Big Ten opponents

The Wisconsin Badgers' 2025 schedule gets a lot of hype for being difficult, but Luke Fickell's squad presents a tough opponent for the other Big Ten teams trying to make big runs of their own.
Lorin Cox|
Indiana's Brendan Sorsby (15) is sacked during the first half of the Indiana versus Wisconsin football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023.
Indiana's Brendan Sorsby (15) is sacked during the first half of the Indiana versus Wisconsin football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. | Rich Janzaruk/ Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Wisconsin Badgers

The Wisconsin Badgers have a tough 2025 schedule on paper, but that doesn't mean UW will be an easy game for all of their Big Ten opponents.

The teams that face Wisconsin will be trying to pick up key wins for their own schedule, and the Badgers have a good opportunity to stand in their way.

ESPN analyst Greg McElroy went through win/loss predictions for a handful of Big Ten teams, and he saw Luke Fickell and company as a "toss-up game" for both Washington and Indiana.

The Huskies have to travel to Camp Randall Stadium on Nov. 8, coming off of back-to-back games against Michigan and Illinois.

McElroy thinks that stretch is going to be "tough sledding" for a Washington team that needs to win some toss up games to try and get back above .500 in 2025.

He was a little more confident in Indiana's chances against Badgers. He still categorized Wisconsin as a "toss up" for the Hoosiers, but he predicted Curt Cignetti would pick up wins against both UW and Illinois.

Still, it's a compliment to Wisconsin to leave the door open for a potential upset against an Indiana team coming off of a College Football Playoff appearance.

McElroy had less confidence in the Badgers against Michigan, which he penciled in as a "automatic" win for the Wolverines.

That game has the potential to be more of a wildcard, though, with head coach Sherrone Moore coming off of a two-game suspension and projected to start a true freshman quarterback.

Nothing's going to be easy for Wisconsin this year, but Fickell may have more control over the team's destiny than the tough schedule suggests.

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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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