Big Ten · Madison, Wisconsin
Wisconsin Football
2026 college football program hub
The short version
Wisconsin football in 2026
Wisconsin is 4-1 through 5 completed games: 4 wins, 1 loss.
Latest confirmed result: Wisconsin beat Michigan State Spartans, 31-3, on Saturday, October 3, 2026.
Wisconsin plays next against UCLA Bruins on Saturday, October 17, 2026, on the road. The kickoff time is TBD. TV coverage is TBD.
Program center
Wisconsin football pages
2026 season
Big Ten football
4-1 current recordHead coach
Luke Fickell
Leading the Wisconsin Badgers through the 2026 season.
Program profile
Madison, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
In pictures
WIS on game day
Program background · Reviewed 2026-09-01
Three seasons, each worse than the last
Luke Fickell arrived in Madison in 2023 as one of the better hires available, having built Cincinnati into a College Football Playoff team. Wisconsin has won 7 games, then 5, then 4. That is not a bad season inside a good run; it is a straight line pointing down, and it is the single clearest fact about the programme.
The detail of 2025 was worse than the record. Wisconsin started 2-0 against Miami of Ohio and Middle Tennessee, then lost six in a row, finished 0-9 against ranked opponents, and surrendered both Paul Bunyan's Axe and the Heartland Trophy. The athletic director confirmed Fickell's return in early November, with the team at 2-5, and promised additional resources rather than a change.
Program background · Reviewed 2026-09-01
The softest schedule in the conference
Wisconsin avoids Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Nebraska, Northwestern and Washington. Phil Steele rates the schedule 124th hardest of 138 teams. After the Notre Dame opener at Lambeau, four of the next five games are against teams that did not reach a bowl, and November brings Rutgers, Maryland and Purdue, all of whom had losing seasons.
That cuts both ways, and the page will not pretend otherwise. A soft schedule is what a struggling programme needs in order to rebuild confidence. It is also what removes the explanation available in each of the last two years, which is why 2026 is generally described in Madison as decisive.
Explore
More on WIS
Players
Roster
Published player records by position group, with available class years, measurements, and hometowns.
Staff
Coaches
Luke Fickell and the published staff directory.
Numbers
Season stats
Confirmed results, points scored and allowed, and per-game scoring averages.
Archive
Program history
Championships, milestones, and the program’s history.
League
Big Ten
The rest of the conference and how the title race is shaping up.
Nearby
Teams in Wisconsin
Other programs in the same state, if you follow more than one.
FAQ
WIS frequently asked questions
What is the WIS 2026 football record?
Wisconsin is 4-1 through 5 completed games: 4 wins, 1 loss.
When does WIS play next?
Wisconsin plays next against UCLA Bruins on Saturday, October 17, 2026, on the road. The kickoff time is TBD. TV coverage is TBD.
Who coaches Wisconsin?
Luke Fickell is the head coach.
What conference does WIS play in?
Wisconsin competes in the Big Ten.
Is Luke Fickell still Wisconsin's coach?
Yes, in a fourth season. Athletic director Chris McIntosh confirmed publicly in early November 2025, with the team sitting at 2-5, that Fickell would return for 2026, and committed additional financial resources to the programme rather than making a coaching change.
How has Wisconsin done under Luke Fickell?
Progressively worse. Seven wins in 2023, five in 2024, four in 2025. He arrived having taken Cincinnati to the College Football Playoff in 2021, which is why the appointment was well regarded at the time and why the decline has been so closely scrutinised.
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