The Luke Fickell era at Wisconsin is about to begin. Here's a game-by-game look at 2023.
Is Luke Fickell the right man to lead Wisconsin to its first Big Ten title in more than a decade and, at some point, into the College Football Playoff?
UW athletic director Chris McIntosh said his goal for the program is to win championships and Fickell’s first season as head coach opens at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 2, when the Badgers host Buffalo.
The 2023 schedule is set up for the Badgers to at least challenge for the Big Ten West Division title. They get rivals Iowa and Nebraska at home, and 2022 division winner Purdue is breaking in a rookie head coach. Two of the Badgers’ crossover games are against Rutgers and Indiana, which were a combined 3-15 in league play last season. Their other crossover game is against Ohio State, Fickell’s alma mater, but the Buckeyes are set to visit Camp Randall Stadium for the first time since the 2016 season.
The Badgers and Buckeyes are set to meet on Oct. 28 and UW fans are already pointing to that game as a chance for their team to make a statement against the league’s most dominant program since Urban Meyer arrived in 2012.
Here's a look at UW’s 2023 schedule and opponents:
SEPTEMBER 2
Buffalo, at Camp Randall Stadium, 2:30 p.m.
About the Bulls: Maurice Linguist is entering his third season as head coach. He replaced Lance Leipold, who won two Mid-American Conference East Division titles in his last three seasons at Buffalo before taking over the Kansas program. The Bulls finished 5-3 in the MAC and 7-6 overall last season. Former UW safety Michael Caputo is in his first year as Buffalo’s safeties coach.
Series history: UW and Buffalo have met one time. The Badgers routed Buffalo, 35-3, in 2006. Bret Bielema was in his first season as UW’s head coach. Former Nebraska quarterback Turner Gill was in his first season as Buffalo’s head coach.
SEPTEMBER 9
Washington State, at Martin Stadium in Pullman, 6:30 p.m.
About the Cougars: Jake Dickert, a graduate of Kohler High School and UW-Stevens Point, is entering his second season as full-time head coach. The Cougars finished 4-5 in the Pacific 12 and 7-6 overall last season. They lost to in-state rival Washington, 51-33, in the league finale and suffered a 29-6 loss to Fresno State in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl.
Series history: This will be the fourth meeting between the teams but the first in Pullman. Former UW tailback Nakia Watson had one rushing touchdown and one receiving touchdown to lead the Cougars to a 17-14 victory last season at Camp Randall Stadium.
SEPTEMBER 16
Georgia Southern, at Camp Randall Stadium, 11 a.m.
About the Eagles: Clay Helton, the head coach at USC from 2015-21, is in his second season at Georgia Southern. Last season the Eagles finished 3-5 in the Sun Belt and 6-7 overall. Their most noteworthy victory came in Week 2, when they scored in the final minute to stun host Nebraska, 45-42. That result led to the firing of Nebraska head coach Scott Frost.
Series history: This is the first meeting, but Helton and USC faced UW in the 2015 Holiday Bowl. Quarterback Joel Stave passed for 217 yards and a touchdown, Corey Clement rushed for a touchdown, linebacker Jack Cichy had sacks on three consecutive plays in the second half and Rafael Gaglianone hit field goals of 28, 33 and 29 yards in UW’s 23-21 victory. Gaglianone's 29-yarder came with 2 minutes 27 seconds left in the game.
SEPTEMBER 22 (Friday)
Purdue, at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, 6 p.m.
About the Boilermakers: After head coach Jeff Brohm left for Louisville, Purdue hired Ryan Walters to lead the program. Walters did terrific work as Illinois’ defensive coordinator for the last two seasons, and it will be interesting to see if he can improve the Boilermakers’ defense and pair it with a dangerous offense. This will be the first time Purdue hosts a Big Ten opponent on a Friday. Last season the Boilermakers won their first Big Ten West Division title, with a 6-3 mark, and finished 8-6 overall. Their season ended with an ugly 63-7 loss to LSU in the Citrus Bowl.
Series history: John Torchio returned one interception 31 yards for a touchdown and returned another 18 yards to the Purdue 14 to set up another touchdown in UW’s 35-24 victory over the Boilermakers last season. That gave UW 16 consecutive victories in the series. Thirteen of those have been by 11 points or more.
More: Here's why Wisconsin will win the Big Ten West in 2023 ... or why the Badgers won't
OCTOBER 7
Rutgers, at Camp Randall Stadium
About the Scarlet Knights: Greg Schiano enters Year 4 of his second stint in trying to make the Rutgers program respectable. Life in the East Division has made that difficult as the Scarlet Knights have gone 3-6, 2-7 and 1-8 in the league in the last three seasons. Rutgers’ lone Big Ten victory last season was a 24-17 decision over visiting Indiana. The Scarlet Knights’ eight league losses were by an average of 26.4 points.
Series history: UW has won all four meetings and only one was relatively close. UW won, 37-0, in 2014 at Rutgers; 48-10, in 2015 in Madison; 31-17, in 2018 in Madison; and 52-3, at Rutgers in 2021.
OCTOBER 14
Iowa, at Camp Randall Stadium
About the Hawkeyes: Last season Iowa fielded a terrific defense, playmaking special teams and a moribund offense. Sound familiar? That formula cost the Hawkeyes a shot at the Big Ten West Division title. They finished just 5-4 in the league and 8-5 overall, largely because they averaged just 17.7 points per game, the No. 12 mark in the league. Offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz is back, but the Hawkeyes added several transfers, including quarterback Cade McNamara and tight end Erick All from Michigan. Both players should play key roles as the Hawkeyes try to add juice to the offense.
Series history: Iowa has won just two of the last seven meetings and both of those games were in Iowa City, in 2020 and last season. UW outgained Iowa last season, 227-146, but suffered a 24-10 loss because the Hawkeyes returned one interception for a touchdown, set up another touchdown with a blocked punt and limited the Badgers’ offense to 43 yards on 29 plays in the second half. Can Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker win the battle against UW’s Phil Longo?
OCTOBER 21
Illinois, at Memorial Stadium, Champaign
About the Illini: Former UW head coach Bret Bielema appears to have the Illini trending upward after two seasons in Champaign. The Illini finished 4-5 in the Big Ten in 2021, just the second time in 11 seasons they won at least four league games. They finished 5-4 in the league and 8-5 overall last season. That marked the Illini’s best season since 2007, when they finished 6-2 and 9-4 under Ron Zook.
The coaching staff is teeming with former UW players/assistants. Aaron Henry, who played cornerback and safety at UW, is entering his first season as defensive coordinator. Former UW defensive lineman Tim Jamison is co-defensive coordinator/defensive line coach. Andy Buh is the team’s linebackers coach. He coached UW linebackers in 2012, Bielema’s last season with the Badgers. Defensive backs coach Antonio Fenelus played cornerback at UW. Offensive line coach Bart Miller rescued UW’s unit in 2012. Bielema fired offensive line coach Mike Markuson after the second game of the season and promoted Miller from grad assistant.
Series history: The Badgers won nine consecutive meetings – from 2008-18 – but the Illini have won two of the last four. They upset UW, 24-23, in 2019 in Champaign and handed the Badgers an ugly 34-10 loss last season in Madison. That left UW 0-2 in the Big Ten and 2-3 overall and head coach Paul Chryst was fired less than 24 hours later.
OCTOBER 28
Ohio State, at Camp Randall Stadium
About the Buckeyes: Some Ohio State fans appear to be panicking and wondering whether Ryan Day is the right man to lead the program. The Buckeyes are 31-2 in league play and 45-6 overall in four seasons under Day. However, they haven’t won a national title and losses to Michigan in each of the last two seasons kept the Buckeyes out of the Big Ten title game. The defense surrendered too many big plays in losses to Michigan and Georgia last season and there are questions about the quarterback position entering 2023. What happens if Day falls to Jim Harbaugh again this season?
Series history: Some UW fans might not remember the last time the Badgers beat the Buckeyes. That came on Oct. 16, 2010. The Badgers handed the top-ranked Buckeyes a 31-18 loss in Madison. Bielema was in his fifth season as UW’s head coach. Jim Tressel was in his last season as Ohio State’s head coach. Who took over as interim head coach after Tressel resigned in May 2011? Fickell, of course. The Buckeyes finished 3-5 in the Big Ten and 6-7 overall under Fickell but one of the victories was a 33-29 upset of No. 12 UW.
Ohio State has won the last nine meetings in the series – four in Columbus, three in Indianapolis and two in Madison. Both victories in Madison – 2012 and 2016 – were secured in overtime.
NOVEMBER 4
Indiana, Memorial Stadium, Bloomington
About the Hoosiers: Tom Allen enters his seventh full season as the Hoosiers’ head coach. The Hoosiers appeared to break through under Allen in 2020 when they finished 6-1 in the league and 6-2 overall. That season included a 14-6 victory over UW in Madison. That snapped a 10-game losing streak in the series. Instead, the Hoosiers have regressed. They finished 0-9 in the league and 2-10 overall in 2021 and made modest improvement last season to finish 2-7 and 4-8.
Series history: UW’s 10-game winning streak in the series spanned from 2005-17. Eight of the 10 were by 28 points or more. The most lopsided result came in 2010, when UW won, 83-20. Tailbacks Montee Ball and James White combined for 311 rushing yards and five touchdowns and Scott Tolzien hit 15 of 18 passes (83.3%) for 181 yards and three touchdowns.
NOVEMBER 11
Northwestern, Camp Randall Stadium
About the Wildcats: The program that reached the Big Ten title game in 2018 and 2020 under Pat Fitzgerald appears to be in disarray. Fitzgerald, who was preparing for his 18th season as head coach, was fired July 10 because of allegations of hazing within the program. The native of Moline, Illinois, was a consensus All-American linebacker for the Wildcats twice, was named Big Ten defensive player of the year twice and appeared to be the perfect representative for the program.
David Braun, entering his first season as the Wildcats’ defensive coordinator, was named interim head coach. Braun, who came from FCS power North Dakota State, faces a daunting task off and on the field in 2023.
Series history: Northwestern and UW have played many entertaining games over the years and the Wildcats have made a habit out of handing UW bitter defeats. Not in the last two seasons. UW rolled to a 35-7 victory over the Wildcats in 2021 and to a 42-7 victory last season in Evanston.
NOVEMBER 18
Nebraska, Camp Randall Stadium
About the Cornhuskers: Why is Matt Rhule, after two-plus failed seasons at Carolina in the NFL, back in college leading the Nebraska program in 2023? Because Rhule has a track record of building up struggling college programs and Nebraska officials continue to search for a coach who can re-establish the program as one of the best in the country. Nebraska’s last league title came in 1999, when Frank Solich guided the Cornhuskers to the Big 12 title, a victory in the Fiesta Bowl and a 12-1 overall mark.
When Nebraska finished second in the Big 12 North in 2003, Solich was fired after the regular-season finale. Nebraska officials then went through four full-time head coaches – Bill Callahan, Bo Pelini, Mike Riley and Scott Frost – over a 19-year span. The results: a 79-79 league record, a 131-107 overall record and eight seasons without a bowl game.
Series history: Nebraska and UW met five times before the Cornhuskers joined the Big Ten for the 2011 season. The Cornhuskers won three of those meetings. UW is 10-1 against the Cornhuskers since then. The lone loss came in the 2012 Big Ten opener.
NOVEMBER 25
Minnesota, at Huntington Bank Stadium, Minneapolis
About the Gophers: Minnesota broke through in 2019, P.J. Fleck’s third season as head coach, to finish 7-2 in the Big Ten and 11-2 overall. The Gophers slumped to a 3-4 mark in the 2020 season, which was affected by COVID-19. However, they have bounced back to finish 9-4 overall in each of the last two seasons. Fleck has done a solid job in Minnesota but his league record is 26-26 and he has zero appearances in the league title game.
Series history: You know Fleck has been cuddling with Paul Bunyan’s Axe pretty much every day since last November when the Gophers rallied to defeat UW, 23-16, in the teams’ regular-season finale. Fleck is 3-3 against UW. What makes that mark impressive is that UW had won 13 consecutive games in the series before Fleck took over the Minnesota program in 2017.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin football 2023: Game-by-game look at schedule, opponents
