Ryan Day not overlooking Wisconsin Badgers despite losing streak: 'They play hard'

Wisconsin Badgers fans are feeling hopeless about their team's chances against No. 1 ranked Ohio State on Saturday, but the Buckeyes aren't going to look past their trip to Camp Randall Stadium.

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day was complimentary of what the Badgers have been able to do this season, in spite of their losing.

"They play hard, and they're well coached," Day said at his Tuesday press conference. "The easy thing to do is to look at their record or look at maybe what happened last week and think otherwise."

Wisconsin is going to be the more desperate team on Saturday, trying to pull off the miracle upset against an opponent they have no business beating.

Day knows that the Buckeyes have a big target on their back, and the Badgers have plenty of experience against ranked opponents already this season.

"When you turn on the film, last year they're playing LSU. This year they're playing Alabama," Day said. "They're playing really good teams, and they've been right there with a bunch of them."

It's a generous read of Wisconsin's season from Day. The Badgers weren't exactly "right there" with Alabama in a 38-14 loss, though they did play Michigan close for a few quarters before they pulled away to win 24-10.

Ryan Day does his best (understandably so) to talk up a terrible Wisconsin team ahead of Ohio State’s trip to Madison this weekend. pic.twitter.com/ebmPLX4hz0
— Dillon Davis (@DillonDavis56) October 14, 2025

The biggest concern for Ohio State might just be playing on the road. Wisconsin hosts them for their third away game in the last four weeks, and the Badgers are hoping the crowd that sticks around until "Jump Around" can be a factor.

"Going to Camp Randall is a huge challenge," Day said. "This is a team that has good players and is playing very hard, so we have to have a great week of practice."

Wisconsin is the team that will need the better week of practice, as Luke Fickell tries to figure out which quarterback he'll start against the No. 1 team in the country.

The compliments from Day might sound nice, but unless the Badgers can make him sound correct, it's going to be a long day at the office on Saturday.

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