As the 2019 season brings to a close another decade of college football, Badgers Wire has been engaged in a series of reflective pieces. “Record Review” is another series examining how the Badgers have fared against the rest of the Big Ten conference. Next up is an examination of the Badgers’ record against one of the NCAA’s most successful football programs of all time, Michigan. Unlike their rivalry with the Ohio State Buckeyes, the Wisconsin Badgers have actually thrived against the Wolverines this decade. If they can continue that success into the next decade, it bodes well for Wisconsin’s hopes of being a national title contender.
Using Stassen, Badgers Wire pulled up every result against Michigan this past decade. The Badgers finished 4-2 in the 2010s against the Wolverines. Bucky was 3-0 against the Wolverines at home and 1-2 on the road, with their only road victory coming back in 2010, which also happens to be the only year they beat Ohio State in the same decade.
The strange part about this rivalry over the past decade is the margins. When the Badgers got Michigan at home, they typically pummeled them. The average margin of victory was 35-17 (rounded to the nearest whole number), but once they traveled to the Big House, that margin of victory disappeared and the average score was 27-23 in favor of Michigan.
It’s tough to pick out a “toughest loss” in this series because the games aren’t particularly close. One could arguably make the case that 2016 was the toughest, given the level of play of both teams. Wisconsin wouldn’t have necessarily improved its position for anything beyond its bowl assignment (Western Michigan in the Cotton) — it once again made the conference championship game that season. Yet, a win would have given the Badgers at least a decent showing against the conference’s best. As it stands, they lost to Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State that season. Their only victory over a conference bellcow came against Michigan State, which was highly ranked when it played Wisconsin, but finished the year at 3-9.
Wisconsin’s best win against Michigan? Either 2019 or 2017 against Jim Harbaugh would have to rate at the top. The 2017 win probably gets the nod partly because Michigan was dangerous in the first half of that game, and partly because Wisconsin completed a 12-0 run through its regularly scheduled games that year. The 2019 win certainly wasn’t bad — it was delicious to romp all over Harbaugh in that game — but 2017 carried more significance and resonance.
As previously stated, Wisconsin needs to maintain a consistent level of play against the conference elite. Regular wins over Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State, and Penn State are how UW can establish a winning base that allows the school to recruit to a region which is not particularly easy to navigate. Wisconsin is on the right path; the Badgers have shown that they can win against the conference’s top teams. Going into 2020 and beyond, Wisconsin simply needs to find a way to take its success on the road, and the Badgers will gain even greater leverage over Michigan.