'I don’t know if they win three games’: Joel Klatt rips Wisconsin's schedule outlook

Luke Fickell is looking at a very difficult season. The head coach was ranked No. 10 among college football coaches facing the most pressure this fall by Ari Wasserman last month, largely due to Wisconsin’s lack of success in two seasons under Fickell. 

But the challenges aren’t only in living up to expectations. This season, Fickell must lead the Badgers through an October schedule that’s arguably the hardest of any team this season.

— Ben Stevens (@BenScottStevens) July 31, 2025

Wisconsin faces Michigan on the road Oct. 4, before hosting Iowa and Ohio State the following two weekends, and ending the month with a trip to Oregon. The Oct. 25 game against the Ducks will be a tie-dye theme at Oregon’s Autzen Stadium, a tribute to the Grateful Dead’s 60th anniversary. 

The Badgers were projected to finish No. 12 in the Big Ten Conference by a poll conducted at Media Days. Per the Media Poll, Ohio State and Oregon are projected at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, while Michigan is projected at No. 5 and Iowa is projected at No. 7. 

Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt discussed the difficulty of the Badgers’ schedule on the July 21 episode of his podcast, "The Joel Klatt Show."

“You look at that schedule, and I don't know if they win three games,” Klatt said.

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Wisconsin begins the season with two home matchups against Miami Ohio and Middle Tennessee, plus the Badgers host Maryland in Week 4. The Terrapins are projected to finish No. 16 in the conference. In theory, these three home contests should be relatively simple wins for Fickell, but Maryland is the only Big Ten opponent on the Badgers’ schedule with a lower projected ranking than Wisconsin. 

The Badgers will finish the regular season with four November games against conference opponents. Fickell and his squad will host Washington (projected to finish No. 10) and Illinois (No. 4) in Weeks 9 and 11, respectively. During Week 10, the Badgers will travel to No. 6 Indiana and will visit No. 11 Minnesota Week 12.