Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell is shown during the second quarter of their game against Illinois Saturday, November 22, 2025 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. | Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Wisconsin Badgers had a brutal draw in 2025, facing eight opponents that were either ranked or ended the season ranked. That included Alabama, Oregon, Indiana, and Ohio State, who all made the college football playoff.

Now, in 2026, things seem better for the Badgers with their schedule, although nothing is certain until the season starts.

As we head toward July, let’s examine the Badgers’ significantly easier 2026 schedule, and break down the opponents from easiest to most difficult. (Parts II and III will follow soon.)

12th: Western Illinois

I’m going to get this out there immediately. I HATE it when the Badgers schedule FCS teams. It’s all downside and no upside. Western Illinois from the Ohio Valley Conference had a 4-8 record in 2025. just like Wisconsin, and are being brought in to serve as roadkill.

Don’t get me wrong, an easy win for a program where victories have been too rare isn’t, per se, a bad thing. But there are plenty of FBS squads that could have slotted in here.

This will almost certainly be a Wisconsin steamroll job, and anything less will be disappointing.

11th: Eastern Michigan

Unshockingly, Wisconsin’s other lightweight non-con falls here in the form of MAC speed bump Eastern Michigan. who was a bottom-half squad in one of the worst FBS conferences in 2025.

There’s not much to say about this one. Head coach Craig Creighton is back, along with what is expected to be a large number of returning starters, including Noah Kim, who proved to be a competent quarterback last season with 2,817 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.

Still, this should be a walkover for the Badgers and should leave them, at worst, at 2-1 heading into Big Ten play.

10th: Rutgers

Heads up, there’s a massive gap between 11th and this one. Rutgers at Camp Randall is likely going to be the Badgers’ easiest game, although it still features a decent team that should provide a solid challenge to the Badgers.

But the game takes place in November, so by then, Wisconsin will be what it will be.

If the season is going well and things have clicked for Fick, I doubt the Scarlet Knights, coming off a 5-7 season with just two Big Ten wins and losing a solid starting quarterback in Athan Kaliakmanis, will be a particularly tough out. They’re being picked at or near the bottom of the conference in most preseason prognostications.

But if the Badgers are struggling (like Rutgers’ Athletic Department), this could be a coach-killer type of matchup. Hopefully, that won’t be the scenario.

9th: @ Purdue

I struggled a bit with which game should go here. The Badgers’ schedule features several contests against teams with big question marks that could, potentially, end up solid. Purdue arguably fits in that group.

But any team that finished two games behind the Badgers in conference play in 2025 (going 0-9!) deserves this slot, and it would have been 10th if the game were in Madison.

I know some think that Coach Barry Odom will turn things around in 2026, and this is possible. But if the Badgers can’t continue a 20+ year winning streak versus the Boilermakers in late November, it will likely mean that the season has been a failure.

If Wisconsin has been solid or better heading in, this flips to a trap game and a very different vibe. Either way, ninth place feels right here.

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