Wisconsin suffered an inexplicable 20-14 loss at Indiana yesterday. The loss dropped the Badgers to 5-4 on the season and 3-3 in Big Ten play, while giving the Hoosiers their first conference win of the season.
There aren’t many ways to sugarcoat the effort. Yes, Wisconsin was without its top quarterback, top two running backs and top receiver. But Indiana entered as SP+’s No. 95 team in the nation and had only defeated Indiana State and Akron. They are easily the worst team in the Big Ten this season.
The loss was Wisconsin’s second to Indiana since 2020. Luke Fickell was hired to compete for championships and elevate the Badgers’ status, so losses like these start to put that vision in doubt.
There are still games left this season, though. Here are rest-of-season projections for Wisconsin football according to ESPN FPI: