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How Wisconsin Badgers football could still make a bowl game if they beat Minnesota

The Wisconsin Badgers still have a chance to make it to a bowl game this season, but they're going to need a lot of help to get there.
Lorin Cox|
Nov 22, 2025; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell talks to his team during the second half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Camp Randall Stadium.
Nov 22, 2025; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell talks to his team during the second half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Camp Randall Stadium. | Kayla Wolf-Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

The Wisconsin Badgers still have a chance to make it to a bowl game this season, but they're going to need a lot of help to get there.

It felt like it was out of the question when the Badgers lost their seventh game of the season to No. 2 Indiana on November 15, ensuring that Wisconsin would finish the season with a winning percentage below .500.

It's still a long shot, but it's not out of the question that Luke Fickell's team could sneak into a bowl game.

Related: Wisconsin Badgers' new offensive approach has spurred late-season turnaround

First and foremost, the Badgers have to beat Minnesota on Saturday to get to 5-7. A loss would officially eliminate any possibility of a bowl berth.

From there, Wisconsin needs a bunch of other teams to lose this weekend to clear a spot for them.

A five-win team can make a postseason game if the NCAA doesn't have enough teams with six or more wins to fill all 80 bowl games.

The tiebreaker for five-win teams is Academic Progress Rate, which, according to Forbes contributor Erik Buchinger, puts the Badgers in a favorable position.

By his calculation, the Badgers are fighting with at least 17 teams for the final few bowl spots. Wisconsin fans should be rooting for these schools to lose on Saturday to help pave the way for UW:

  • Army (5-5)
  • Auburn (5-6)
  • Baylor (5-6)
  • Buffalo (5-6)
  • Delaware (5-6)
  • Florida State (5-6)
  • Kansas (5-6)
  • Kansas State (5-6)
  • Kentucky (5-6)
  • Louisiana (5-6)
  • Mississippi State (5-6)
  • Rice (5-6)
  • Temple (5-6)
  • Texas State (5-6)
  • UCF (5-6)
  • Washington State (5-6)
  • North Carolina (4-7)

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According to Buchinger, four bowl spots are still up for grabs. That means if more than three of those teams win on Saturday, Wisconsin will not make a bowl game.

The Badgers will be solely focused on beating Minnesota on Saturday. But once Paul Bunyan's Axe has been secured, the fan base will be watching the scoreboard closely to see if they can sneak into the most improbable bowl game in program history.

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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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