The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel released his way-too-early 2024 top 25 earlier this week. The Wisconsin Badgers were among the ‘just missed’ category after a disappointing 7-6 season under first-year head coach Luke Fickell.
Wisconsin’s future is tough to predict, especially entering the new Big Ten landscape. The team sees massive turnover on offense including incoming quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, but that could be a good thing given the unit’s struggles in 2023. Meanwhile, Fickell and his staff have brought in six linebackers, several corners and a defensive lineman in the portal with the hope of reworking a defense that fell short of expectations.
2024 feels like a year that could be a ‘boom’ for Fickell and his staff if every offseason move hits. But it could also bust, given how much is reliant upon the performance of transfers, plus the schedule is much tougher than 2023.
Can Jalen Milroe and Alabama get back to the top in 2024?
Is the Big Ten favorite going to be … Oregon?
Clemson back to being a Top-10 team?
How strong is the New Big 12?
My early 2024 Top 25.https://t.co/4f1BNkDWBdhttps://t.co/4f1BNkDWBd
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) January 10, 2024
Notable Big Ten teams in Mandel’s top 25 are Oregon at No. 3, Ohio State at No. 4, Michigan at No. 6, Washington at No. 7, Penn State at No. 18 and Iowa at No. 22.