Three Sleeper Teams to Watch Out For on Wisconsin Football's Schedule

After multiple seasons of what's felt like pure football despair in Madison, the Badgers appear to finally have a solid outlook for this fall — thanks in no small part to the schedule gods gifting Wisconsin the easiest slate in the Big Ten on paper.

After an truly ridiculous gauntlet of a schedule last season that featured four eventual College Football Playoff teams, two of the four eventual national semifinalists and six teams ranked inside the final top-25 — with all but one of those games on the road — Wisconsin can breath much easier in 2026.

The season opener — a primetime clash with Notre Dame at Lambeau field — could certainly be more forgiving, but after that Wisconsin's schedule cools off dramatically.

Still, there's always a handful of surprisingly feisty teams we don't give enough credit to in the preseason. Here's three programs that could give the Badgers more trouble than expected this fall:

1. UCLA Bruins

UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava at UCLA's spring game. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

For starters, I'm very high on Bob Chesney. He was one of the best coaches available in a loaded coaching carousel, but he got less attention this offseason because he went to a middling Big Ten program more famous for basketball rather than a big-time SEC school like Tulane's Jon Sumrall (Florida) and USF's Alex Golesh (Auburn).

UCLA also brought in a sprawling transfer class of over 40 players, but it wasn't just a volume portal class. The Bruins secured some big commitments and landed plenty of Power Four players. It may take some time to gel, but there's plenty of talent on this roster.

Finally, UCLA also deploys a veteran quarterback in Nico Iamaleava, a mobile, experienced gunslinger with no shortage of natural ability. If a few things fall into place in Westwood, watch out for the Bruins.

2. USC Trojans

USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

We'll take a crosstown drive through Los Angeles traffic for the second sleeper team on Wisconsin's schedule, the USC Trojans. Now, in what's widely considered a make-or-break year for head coach Lincoln Riley, USC is expected to flirt with double-digit wins and be a strong contender for the college football playoff. But they're a sleeper team for the Badgers because if this truly is Riley's breakthrough year, they could potentially be the best team the Badgers face.

Their hated rival Notre Dame might have something to say about that, but USC is loaded on paper. On offense, it returns its dynamic starting quarterback, its top two running backs and a veteran offensive line. On defense, overqualified DC Gary Patterson has lots of experience and talent to work with.

Right now, this looks like it could be Wisconsin's hardest Big Ten game. But I wouldn't be surprised if this winds up being the Badgers' toughest game all season as everything finally clicks for Riley in Los Angeles.

3. Maryland Terrapins

Maryland quarterback Malik Washington. | Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images

The Terps certainly won't sneak up on Wisconsin after they handed the Badgers a stunning 27-10 loss last fall in the Big Ten opener, a mind-numbingly poor performance that was way more lopsided than the final score suggests.

Still, Maryland is flying well under the national radar this offseason, widely picked to finish in the bottom third of the conference. But while I don't expect the Terps to have the firepower to make noise on a national scale, they should be better in conference play than they were last year (1-8) with a good quarterback in Malik Washington and a pair of dynamic sophomore pass-rushers (Zahir Mathis, Sydney Stewart).

With this game in College Park, the Badgers better have some answers for Malik Washington and those pass-rushers, because they had zero last fall.

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