2025 Wisconsin Football: Game-by-Game Predictions, Portal Overload, and a Seat Getting Hotter

Luke Fickell's third season in Madison might be his most important and his most chaotic. After back-to-back disappointing seasons and a failed attempt to modernize Wisconsin's offense through the Phil Longo Air Raid experiment, Fickell pivoted hard. He ditched the system, hired Jeff Grimes, and hit the transfer portal like a man trying to assemble a football team in a hurry.

And that's precisely what he did. With more than 20 incoming transfers, including quarterbacks, wideouts, linemen,  and defensive backs, Wisconsin now resembles a speed-dating roster full of strangers hoping to click before the leaves change. The gamble is clear: if this team doesn't show progress fast, the Fickell era might end with a whimper. Or with Paul Chryst's buyout echoing faintly in the background.

Here's the game-by-game look at what awaits this duct-taped roster.

Aug 28 – vs. Miami (OH)
The RedHawks are respectable in the MAC, which is like being the best Italian restaurant in Sheboygan: it means something, but not much. Wisconsin will win this game because they're bigger, stronger, and playing in front of a home crowd that hasn't booed anyone yet. Expect Fickell to play QB shuffle and pretend it's part of the plan.
Prediction: Win (1–0)
Comment: If this is a one-score game in the fourth quarter, sound the alarms.

Sep 6 – vs. Middle Tennessee
The Blue Raiders are rebuilding after a disappointing 2024 season. If Wisconsin's front seven can't dominate this game, it's likely to be a wasted year. This should be a "run the ball 40 times and rotate in walk-ons by the third quarter" kind of game. It probably won't be, because nothing under Fickell ever goes that smoothly.
Prediction: Win (2–0)
Comment: Jeff Grimes will be praised for "simplicity" after running inside zone 27 times in a row.

Sep 13 – at Alabama
Let's say it: Wisconsin is not built for Tuscaloosa in mid-September. The field will feel like it's 115 degrees. The visiting team will be drenched by halftime, both from sweat and scoreboard pressure. Alabama, even post-Saban, will roll out five-star depth at every position. Meanwhile, Wisconsin's patchwork line and portal quarterbacks will be trying to call audibles while hallucinating from heat stroke.
This has all the makings of a slow-motion collapse: a respectable first quarter, then a tidal wave of Crimson reality. Expect cramping, disorientation, and a 31-point deficit.
Prediction: Loss (2–1)
Comment: Wisconsin might melt by the third quarter. Literally.

Sep 20 – vs. Maryland
Maryland is tricky. Mike Locksley's teams are like firecrackers—loud, unpredictable, and sometimes they explode in your face. The Terps always bring skill talent, and if Wisconsin's secondary miscommunicates even slightly, this game could get away from them. Then again, Maryland is known for its late-season fade. This is early.
Prediction: Narrow win (3–1)
Comment: Portal cohesion? Optional. Field goals? Mandatory.

Oct 4 – at Michigan
Let's get serious. Michigan has a functioning identity, elite lines, and depth that Wisconsin can't dream of. You don't just roll into the Big House with a bunch of second-chance transfers and expect things to go well. Michigan will squeeze the life out of Wisconsin's offense and cruise to victory behind a defense that evokes 1990s Nebraska vibes.
Prediction: Loss (3–2)
Comment: Fickell will cite "valuable learning moments" in a postgame press conference that feels more like a deposition.

Oct 11 – vs. Iowa
This game will be physical, ugly, and far too important. Kirk Ferentz returns for his 26th year, possibly powered by diet soda and passive-aggressive newspaper quotes. Iowa's new OC, Tim Lester, actually knows how to score points, a revolutionary shift for the Hawkeyes. Iowa will run basic concepts at a high level. At the same time, Wisconsin tries to determine if Jayden Ballard and Billy Edwards Jr. have met yet. The Heartland Trophy will go back to Iowa City in a truck with 17 pounds of beef jerky and a clean game plan.
Prediction: Loss (3–3)
Comment: Iowa, the program that knew who it was all along, makes Wisconsin look like it's still reading the syllabus.

Oct 18 – vs. Ohio State
This will be a "name your score" game. The Buckeyes could win by 50, but they won't because they'll get bored. Wisconsin's secondary won't hold up against five-star receivers running option routes with a QB who will be a first-round pick. At some point in the second half, Camp Randall will go silent except for the buzz of fans checking the Packers schedule.
Prediction: Loss (3–4)
Comment: This might be the lowest point of the season. Or not. Oregon is next.

Oct 25 – at Oregon
Nothing says "culture clash" like Wisconsin playing a track meet in Autzen Stadium. Oregon plays fast, hits hard, and boasts playmakers at every level. The noise in Eugene will swallow Wisconsin's snap count and coordination, which is already fragile. The Ducks will score quickly and often, and Wisconsin's piecemeal defense will break down by the second quarter.
Prediction: Loss (3–5)
Comment: Fickell will say, "We played hard." That's not the same as playing well.

Nov 8 – vs. Washington
This could be the "they finally look like a football team" game. Washington lost a lot from its title run, and Jedd Fisch is still in the process of building. If the offensive line shows up and the secondary holds for more than 2.5 seconds per snap, Wisconsin can steal this one. Of course, that assumes the portal players gel before Thanksgiving.
Prediction: Win (4–5)
Comment: It's November. Someone on the sideline will say, "Hey, we're not that bad." They're wrong, but it'll feel nice for a week.

Nov 15 – at Indiana
Curt Cignetti has made Indiana frisky, but not dangerous. This is a must-win, and if Wisconsin loses here, someone might start a GoFundMe to fly Fickell out of town. Expect a clunky, close game that only ends when Braylon Allen's spiritual successor breaks off a 41-yard run against a gassed Hoosier front.
Prediction: Win (5–5)
Comment: A win that feels more like CPR than progress.

Nov 22 – vs. Illinois
This is the revenge game—just not for Wisconsin. Bret Bielema built the Wisconsin program, left, got roasted, then rebuilt Illinois in Wisconsin's exact image. Now he comes into Camp Randall not just with a better identity, but with a better team. He already beat Wisconsin there in 2022 and would love nothing more than to slam the door on the Fickell era.
Prediction: Loss (5–6)
Comment: Bielema might do a slow clap on the 50-yard line. And he'd deserve it.

Nov 29 – at Minnesota
The Axe. Bowl eligibility. Job security. All on the line. P.J. Fleck might be corny, but his teams play hard and don't beat themselves. If Wisconsin enters this game in disarray, and history suggests it will, the Gophers will outlast them. Picture a 17–13 game decided by a blocked punt, a missed field goal, or a bizarre sideline penalty.
Prediction: Loss (5–7)
Comment: Another year, another missed bowl, and a postgame presser that opens with "We're close."

Final Record: 5–7
This team has talent and urgency, but what it lacks is cohesion. The transfer portal gives, but it also confuses. Fickell's desperation is evident in how aggressively he shopped for roster patches this offseason. The upside is limited, the floor is visible, and the ceiling was never reached.
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If Wisconsin wanted a return to form, they're not getting it, not this year. This team will flash, frustrate, and ultimately fall short. And as the snow falls in Minneapolis and the Axe goes the wrong way again, the question won't be "What happened?" It'll be "What now?"