ESPN ranking of Wisconsin Badgers QBs sinks to new low after first month of 2025 season

Wisconsin Badgers starter Billy Edwards Jr. and backup Danny O'Neil have both dealt with injuries this year, and neither has been able to sustain success when they've been on the field.

Injured Wisconsin quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. congratulates quarterback Danny O'Neil after a touchdown pass during the fourth quarter of their game Thursday, August 28, 2025 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. Wisconsin beat Miami (Ohio) 17-0. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It's hard to win football games with inconsistent quarterback play. The Wisconsin Badgers have experienced that through the first four games of this season (and most of last year too).

Starter Billy Edwards Jr. and backup Danny O'Neil have both dealt with injuries this year, and neither has been able to sustain success when they've been on the field. Compared to the rest of the teams in college football, it's been bleak under center for the Badgers.

ESPN's Bill Connelly ranked every Power 4 team's QB through the first month of the season, and Wisconsin's duo is seventh lowest overall and second lowest in the Big Ten, coming in at No. 62 out of 68 teams.

62. Billy Edwards Jr. and Danny O'Neil, Wisconsin

Edwards won the starting job and got hurt almost immediately. O'Neil has thrown mostly short passes ineffectively, combining 10.7 yards per completion (100th) with a dreadful 5.9 percent interception rate (131st). Edwards should return soon, but is he good enough to totally save an offense without a run game or deep threats (and zero remaining games as a projected favorite)? Probably not.

Bill Connelly, ESPN

We knew this would be an odd QB year in college football, but the preseason stars have mostly bombed, and the best performer has been ... Maiava, I guess? Pavia? Moore?

I ranked all 68 power-conference QBs (or QB situations) to date: https://t.co/3QsbFd0WBa

— Bill Connelly (@ESPN_BillC) October 1, 2025

The only Big Ten quarterback ranked lower on the list is Preston Stone from Northwestern, whose six interceptions this year are the most in the conference.

O'Neil is right behind him with five picks so far.

Wisconsin's QBs have been put in a tough spot. The team spent all offseason with Edwards as the unquestioned starter getting the majority of the practice reps.

He got hurt in the first game, throwing O'Neil into the fire with limited preparation.

The backup has had to learn on the fly while his offensive line has struggled and shuffled its lineup, and the team hasn't been able to support either passer with any threat in the running game.

Still, the quarterback play hasn't been anywhere close to what Wisconsin needs it to be, and that only becomes even more important as the schedule gets even harder with ranked opponents in five of their next six games.

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