Joel Klatt lays out harsh reality he sees for Wisconsin Badgers football in 2025

He recognizes the significant improvements the team made this offseason, but he's not sure it will be enough, given the schedule they face.

"I think Luke Fickell is an excellent football coach, I really do, and I'm hoping that this works out for him," Klatt said. "And I actually think that Wisconsin could be a better team, roster-wise, this year than they were even last year. But here's the problem: I don't know if that shows up in the win-loss column this year."

He thinks Wisconsin could be underdogs in nine of the 12 games they play this season. Klatt sounded ready to hand them wins for the non-conference games against Miami (OH) and Middle Tennessee, but from there, it gets tough.

He reiterated multiple times his respect for Fickell and the improvements the team made, but he sees their opponents as too daunting to overcome.

"You can't make those changes and think that you're going to develop your way out of it with that schedule in front of you," Klatt said. "It's not about the size of the hole. It's whether you can climb out of it. So this is going to be a tough climb this year."

He projects them with about five wins, matching what Wisconsin produced in the disappointing 2024 campaign.

That's a growing consensus for the Badgers from national college football media members, leaving Fickell to have to exceed expectations to even reach .500 and bowl game eligibility.

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