Wisconsin football is faced with a golden opportunity for a terrific season in 2023. The program still has one more year to benefit from the existence of the Big Ten West and its crossover schedule is easy aside from the Ohio State game.
A College Playoff birth is in the realm of possibility for Head Coach Luke Fickell in his first season. All it will likely take is a 2017 or 2019-type run to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship and the program actually defeating Ohio State, Michigan or Penn State in that spot.
At the least, this team should finish as Big Ten West champions and play for the conference title.
Brad Crawford of 247Sports recently unveiled his latest bowl projections and sees Wisconsin in a similar light. He has the program playing in the Citrus Bowl against SEC power Tennessee.
Our summer edition of college football bowl projections for the 2023 season: https://t.co/RbSnqMdKFR pic.twitter.com/Cafdzkrexs
— 247Sports (@247Sports) June 20, 2023
That matchup would be fascinating for many reasons. First, it’s Josh Heupel’s air-it-out offense against what should be a staunch Wisconsin defense. Second, Tennessee’s quarterback is someone Wisconsin is familiar with from the 2020 season: former Michigan Wolverine Joe Milton.
Badger fans may remember the interception he threw to Leo Chenal that game. It remains one of the most head-scratching picks I’ve ever seen.
The @BadgerFootball defense has been on the field twice.
It has two interceptions.@chenal_leo does the honors here. pic.twitter.com/qb7RVOjkU0
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 15, 2020
Tennessee projects to be quite good again this year even with roster turnover on offense. A Citrus Bowl matchup between these two teams would be a fun way to cap off the season.