ESPN identifies best, worst case scenarios for Wisconsin in 2023

Wisconsin underwent a makeover during the offseason having brought in new head coach in Luke Fickell. With him comes new offensive identity and many are hoping this is the shock to the system the Badgers need to return to national prominence.

If everything goes as planned, that success will be immediate as ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren believes Wisconsin can make the Big Ten Championship game in 2023.

“The Badgers are in the West division of the Big Ten conference, so in order to get into the conference championship, the team realistically just has to finish in front of Iowa, Illinois and Minnesota to make it in,” VanHaaren wrote. “That seems doable as long as the new offensive system under Phil Longo clicks and is firing on all cylinders.”

The biggest addition for Fickell in those efforts will be former Oklahoma and SMU quarterback Tanner Mordecai, who Fickell brought in to run Wisconsin’s new Air Raid offense. How 1,200-yard rusher Braelon Allen fits into that equation remains to be seen, but it will make for an interesting dynamic for the Badgers’ offensive efforts in 2023.

Three games will decide how well Fickell’s debut season with the Badgers will go, according to VanHaaren. The obvious division games against Iowa (Oct. 14), Illinois (Oct. 25) and Minnesota (Nov. 25) will decide whether or not Wisconsin can compete for a Big Ten Championship this season.

Still, after the back to back Iowa and Illinois matchups, Wisconsin will face one of its most daunting tasks of the season in Ohio State. A three-game losing streak there could decide the Badgers’ fate for the rest of the season.

“The lowest floor if that happens could be a 7-5 year with a loss to end the season at Minnesota,” VanHaaren wrote. “That wouldn’t be a terrible season, but the Badgers went 7-6 in 2022, so that would be consecutive seasons with just seven wins and no Big Ten championship berth. This team has added some good players in the offseason, but there are some roadblocks along the way that could cause problems.”

Wisconsin will kick off the Luke Fickell era with a Week 1 matchup against Buffalo at home on Sept. 2. They’ll follow that up with consecutive matchups against Washington State and Georgia Southern, respectively. To begin the season 3-0 would do wonders for the Badgers’ confidence heading into the conference opener against Purdue in Week 4