Phil Steele Offers Bold Predictions for Wisconsin Football: 'Double the Win Total'

As he does each and every summer, college football guru Phil Steele publishes his extensive preseason preview magazine, diving into all 138 FBS teams.

One of the most revered voices in college football, Steele's work is meticulous as he painstakingly breaks down the nitty gritty of each and every program, speaking to almost every head coach in the FBS.

We've already dissected his projected depth chart for Wisconsin, but below, Badgers On SI takes a look at the rest of Steele's preview, breaking down his takes and analyzing his claims about Wisconsin football in 2026:

"They could double the win total or more."

This is how Steele ends his preview for Wisconsin, asserting that "Fickell will reward the school's patience by getting them back on track."

Steele acknowledges that the Badgers should be better in a few areas this season, leading to a better on-field product, but he also acknowledges that the schedule (the Big Ten's easiest) should help turn things around in Madison.

After last season's dismal 4-8 campaign, Steele believes 8-plus wins is well within the range of possibility for the Badgers. I'm not quite there yet, but I do think that a winning season should be the baseline of expectations here.

Expect "Vastly improved numbers" at QB

Wisconsin QB Colton Joseph. | Christian Borman.

Considering Wisconsin had the fifth-worst passing offense in American last season in terms of yards per game, ahead of only three triple-option offenses and Northern Illinois, the Badgers don't really have anywhere to go but up.

Thus, this isn't a mind-blowing prediction from Steele, but still a welcome one for Badgers fans. Even if Wisconsin's offense remains one of the more putrid in the nation, a healthy Colton Joseph is going to put up numbers, win or lose.

"Underwhelming group of WRs"

I've been concerned with Wisconsin's lackluster wide receiver corps all offseason, and spring ball didn't do much to assuage those concerns. Steele seems to concur. The Badgers have amassed a lot of talent in new position coach Ari Confessor's room, but is there even a single go-to guy? As of now, the answer is now.

That's not to imply Wisconsin's wideouts are doomed — plenty of players have the potential to develop into a trustworthy top option (Eugene Hilton, Jaylon Domingeaux, Tyrell Henry, ect). But none of them actually have yet, and projection and traits will only get you so far. This room needs a receiver or two to take over and leave no doubt about who should see the majority of snaps.

"NFL Caliber Safety Matthew Jung"

Wisconsin Badgers safety Matt Jung. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Of all of Steele's claims in his Wisconsin preview, this one caught my eye the most.

I'd love to know how Steele came to the conclusion that Jung is an "NFL caliber" safety. The former D-III transfer's play last season (30 tackles, 14.9 percent missed tackle rate, one pressure, 75 percent reception percentage) certainly doesn't suggest that, although the speedy defensive back did take strides towards the end of the season.

This must've come from a coach or perhaps Fickell himself, which is fascinating. It's possible that Wisconsin's internal evaluations of Jung are significantly higher than that of the media's — the staff could be expecting a breakout season from the safety.

27.1 Points Per Game?

That would be the most Wisconsin has scored per game since 2019, when it notched 34.1 points per game. The 27.1 figure comes from Steele's computer algorithm, which he never wastes an opportunity to remind his readers is oftentimes very accurate.

Last season, Wisconsin scored less than 13 points per game in one of the worst offensive seasons we've ever seen in Madison. If the Badgers' defense can play to its potential, 27.1 points per game could win Wisconsin a decent amount of ball games.

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