Dec 27, 2018; Bronx, NY, USA; Wisconsin Badgers linebacker T.J. Edwards (53) and fullback Alec Ingold (45) and running back Taiwan Deal (28) and running back Chris James (5) and running back Jonathan Taylor (23) pose for a photo with the trophy after the 2018 Pinstripe Bowl against the Miami Hurricanes at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Early 2025 projection has Wisconsin Badgers back in bowl game they recently dominated

Originally posted on Wisconsin Badgers on SI
By Lorin Cox | Last updated May 10, 2025 3:05 PM ET

The Wisconsin Badgers 22-year streak of bowl games ended with their 5-7 season in 2024.

But even with a rough 2025 schedule , Luke Fickell has a good shot at restarting that streak.

CBS Sports released early projections for every bowl game next year, and they have UW returning to a bowl they dominated just a few years ago.

College football analyst Brad Crawford has the Badgers playing in the Pinstripe Bowl against NC State.

.@BCrawford247 dropped his post-spring College Football Playoff projections

What would you change?

Full bowl projections: https://t.co/zKyj5Nph6Y pic.twitter.com/sU2gl3zUAl
— CBS Sports College Football (@CBSSportsCFB) May 5, 2025

The Wolfpack are coming off a 6-7 season that ended in a loss to East Carolina in the Military Bowl.

Wisconsin last played in the Pinstripe Bowl in 2018, when they dominated the Miami Hurricanes in a 35-3 victory.

It was a rematch of the Orange Bowl from the year before, with a much more dramatic victory for UW.

Pinstripe Bowl CHAMPS!#OnWisconsin // #Badgers pic.twitter.com/WHcEYVvxjJ
— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) December 28, 2018

The Badgers underperformed for the high expectations they had for that 2018 season, but they capped it off with an exclamation point over the ACC opponent.

Johnathan Taylor rushed for over 2,000 yards that season, adding 200 more in the Pinstripe Bowl on his way to winning the Doak Walker Award.

Wisconsin doesn't have nearly the same expectations in 2025, but another emphatic bowl victory would be just what the doctor ordered for Fickell to get the team headed in a positive direction.