Wisconsin Football 2026 Schedule: Full Breakdown, Season Outlook

The Good

After starting the season against Notre Dame, four of the next five games are against teams that didn't go to a bowl last year, and the other is against a rebuilding Penn State.

And there's more, there's a three-game November run - Rutgers, at Maryland, at Purdue - against teams that went through losing seasons, too. But ...

The Bad

There's a run of three road games in four weeks in the second half of the season, and that comes after a trip to Los Angeles to face UCLA, a trip back to Madison to deal with USC, and then comes the date at Iowa.

What Big Ten Teams Wisconsin Will Miss

Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oregon, Washington.

There's nothing to be unhappy about. The Badgers miss Indiana, Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon ... it's the biggest break they've had in a while.

Wisconsin’s Best and Worst Case Scenarios in 2026

Best Case: The Badgers Beat Notre Dame

Wisconsin has won nine of its last ten season openers, with the run starting the last time it kicked off a season in Lambeau Field. It beat LSU 16-14 in 2016, and that team went on to play for the Big Ten Championship.

The Badgers pull off the upset over the Irish on the way to a 3-0 start before going to Penn State.

They come up with a win in Happy Valley, get to 6-0 - seriously, the schedule isn't that bad - take down USC at home, and even with a few misses along the way, they get to 10-2 and in the College Football Playoff discussion.

Worst Case: Wisconsin doesn't own Camp Randall

After starting the season with a loss to Notre Dame, the Badgers start the Big Ten campaign at Penn State with a loss, for a 2-2 start. And then come the problems.

Michigan State comes into town and grinds out a win, USC rolls a few weeks later, and - ugh - Minnesota keeps the Paul Bunyan Axe for another year with a win in the regular season finale.

Along the way, there are losses at Iowa and in at least one other road game for yet another losing season.

Wisconsin Football 2026 Schedule

Sept 5 Notre Dame (in Green Bay)
Sept 12 Western Illinois
Sept 19 Eastern Michigan
Sept 26 at Penn State
Oct 3 Michigan State
Oct 10 OPEN DATE
Oct 17 at UCLA
Oct 24 USC
Oct 31 at Iowa
Nov 7 Rutgers
Nov 14 at Maryland
Nov 21 at Purdue
Nov 28 Minnesota

Games That Will Decide Wisconsin’s Season

1. USC, Oct. 24
It's the middle of the season, it's at home, and it's a sandwich game between road games at UCLA and Iowa. This is when the Badgers have to show they're for real.

2. at Penn State, Sept. 26
How fast will the Nittany Lions be up to speed in the Matt Campbell era? Win the Big Ten opener, and with Michigan State and UCLA up next, there's a chance to go on a run.

3. Notre Dame (in Green Bay), Sept. 5
The Fighting Irish will be in everyone's top five, if not top two. Pull this off, or just come up with a great showing, and it's Game On for the Luke Fickell era.