Iowa Hawkeyes 2025 Opponent Preview: Wisconsin Badgers

Wisconsin failed to reach bowl eligibility for the first time since 2001 last year, and Luke Fickell comes into 2025 with one of the hottest seats in college football.

The Badgers will host Iowa on Saturday, Oct. 11 for the Hawkeyes’ third conference game. They are fresh off a 5-7 season where they won just three conference games.

Here’s what to know about the Badgers:

2024 recap

Wisconsin’s 2024 season started well, as the Badgers beat both Western Michigan and South Dakota State — one of the top teams at the NCAA Division I FCS level — by multiple scores.

But things quickly went wayward.

The Badgers lost 42-10 to Alabama in Week 3, and quarterback Tyler Van Dyke suffered a season-ending injury in that game. Wisconsin lost 38-21 to USC the following week.

After that, things seemed to be trending upward for Wisconsin. The Badgers won three games in a row — against Purdue, Rutgers and Northwestern — to get to 5-2 and just one win away from bowl eligibility.

But the Badgers never got there.

Wisconsin lost five games in a row to end the season, falling to Penn State, Iowa, Oregon, Nebraska and Minnesota. The Badgers ended the year 5-7, their worst record since Barry Alvarez coached them.

Key returners

RB Cade Yacamelli (Jr.), WR Vinny Anthony II (Sr.), LB Christian Alliegro (Jr.), DB Preston Zachman (Sr.), DB Austin Brown (Sr.).

Notable transfer additions

QB Billy Edwards Jr. (Maryland), DE Tyreese Fearbry (Kentucky), DL Parker Petersen (Tulane), DL Micheal Garner (Georgia), DE Mason Reiger (Louisville), DL Jay’viar Suggs (LSU).

Strengths

In an otherwise forgettable campaign for Wisconsin, Yacamelli gave Badger fans something to be hopeful for.

The running back, a sophomore in 2024, led Wisconsin with 8.3 yards per carry. He logged only 33 carries but ran for 274 yards and two touchdowns in seven games.

Yacamelli will likely be Wisconsin’s starting running back in 2025. With a 6-0, 215-pound frame, he is a big back who has proven to be elusive.

Wisconsin’s offense desperately needs a spark, and Yacamelli could provide that.

Weaknesses

Just about every team statistic was mediocre to bad for Wisconsin in 2024.

Offensively, the Badgers were in the bottom half of the league in total yards, passing yards and points scored.

Wisconsin usually prides itself on good defense — the Badgers didn’t even get that in 2024.

The Badgers allowed 342.7 total yards per game and struggled mightily to stop opposing running backs, finishing with the second worst run defense in the Big Ten (165 rushing yards allowed per game). Wisconsin finished tied for last in the conference in interceptions (four) and forced only four fumbles in 12 games.

Not many would have predicted this when he was hired before the 2023 season, but Fickell hasn’t proven to be a winner in Madison. He has compiled a 12-13 record over two seasons, going 8-10 in Big Ten games in his tenure.

How do the Badgers match up with the Hawkeyes?

The good news for Wisconsin is that its defense will look totally different this year.

The Badgers overhauled the unit, adding Fearbry, Petersen, Garner, Suggs and Reiger from the transfer portal. Wisconsin also returns Brown, one of the defense’s only bright spots from last year, in the secondary.

Offensively, Edwards will likely be the Badgers’ starting quarterback.

Edwards started 14 games in three seasons at Maryland. He started 11 games as a junior in 2024, completing 65% of his passes for 2,881 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions and leading the Terrapins to a 4-7 record in his starts.

Edwards has yet to show that he can be a strong starting quarterback in the Big Ten, and that bodes well for a Hawkeyes defense that’s expected to be stingy per usual.