Wisconsin Badgers
Big Ten
9-4 (6-3 conf)
SP+ #7AP #12
Ratings
2021
- SP+
- 20.1 (#7)
- SP+ Offense
- 29.8
- SP+ Defense
- 10.8
- SRS
- 14.0
- FPI
- 13.3
- Elo
- 1864
- Talent
- 751
- Recruiting
- 241 (#15)
Schedule
record 9–4
Schedule
2nd
toughest of 130
Offenses faced
55th
toughest of 130
Defenses faced
1st
toughest of 130
Strength of schedule — how tough this team's opponents are, ranked 1 (hardest) to 130 (easiest).
| Wk | Opponent | SP+ | Score | Margin | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vsPenn State | +14.3 | 10-16 | -6 | L |
| 2 | vsEastern Michigan | -7.8 | 34-7 | +27 | W |
| 4 | NNotre Dame | +17.4 | 13-41 | -28 | L |
| 5 | vsMichigan | +23.4 | 17-38 | -21 | L |
| 6 | @Illinois | +4.3 | 24-0 | +24 | W |
| 7 | vsArmy | +4.7 | 20-14 | +6 | W |
| 8 | @Purdue | +10.3 | 30-13 | +17 | W |
| 9 | vsIowa | +11.4 | 27-7 | +20 | W |
| 10 | @Rutgers | -3 | 52-3 | +49 | W |
| 11 | vsNorthwestern | -11.1 | 35-7 | +28 | W |
| 12 | vsNebraska | +10.3 | 35-28 | +7 | W |
| 13 | @Minnesota | +14.4 | 13-23 | -10 | L |
| 1 ·P | NArizona State | +11.8 | 20-13 | +7 | W |
Quarterbacks · 2
2021 · 70
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | 1st | Graham Mertz | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| QB | 2nd | Chase Wolf | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Running Backs · 8
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FB | 1st | John Chenal | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| RB | 1st | Braelon Allen | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| RB | 2nd | Chez Mellusi | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| RB | 3rd | Brady Schipper | — | — | — | — |
| RB | 4th | Isaac Guerendo | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| RB | 5th | Jalen Berger | SR | 6'1" | 215 | ★★★★ |
| RB | 6th | Julius Davis | — | — | — | — |
| RB | 7th | Grover Bortolotti | SR | 5'9" | 204 | — |
Wide Receivers · 9
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | 1st | Danny Davis III | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| WR | 2nd | Kendric Pryor | — | — | — | — |
| WR | 3rd | Chimere Dike | — | — | — | — |
| WR | 4th | Stephan Bracey | — | — | — | — |
| WR | 5th | Devin Chandler | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| WR | 6th | Jack Dunn | — | — | — | — |
| WR | 7th | Markus Allen | SR | 6'2" | 215 | ★★★★ |
| WR | 8th | Haakon Anderson | — | — | — | — |
| WR | 9th | A.J. Abbott | — | — | — | — |
Tight Ends · 5
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TE | 1st | Jake Ferguson | — | — | — | — |
| TE | 2nd | Clay Cundiff | — | — | — | — |
| TE | 3rd | Jackson Acker | SR | 6'1" | 250 | ★★★ |
| TE | 4th | Jack Eschenbach | — | — | — | — |
| TE | 5th | Jaylan Franklin | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Offensive Line · 2
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OL | — | Tyler Beach | — | — | — | — |
| OL | — | Jack Nelson | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
Defensive Line · 10
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE | 1st | Matt Henningsen | — | — | — | — |
| DE | 2nd | Isaiah Mullens | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DE | 3rd | Izayah Green-May | — | — | — | — |
| DE | 4th | Isaac Townsend | — | — | — | — |
| DL | 1st | Rodas Johnson | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DL | 2nd | James Thompson Jr. | SR | 6'6" | 300 | ★★★ |
| DT | 1st | Gio Paez | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| EDGE | 1st | Kaden Johnson | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| NT | 1st | Keeanu Benton | — | — | — | — |
| NT | 2nd | Bryson Williams | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Linebackers · 14
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LB | 1st | Leo Chenal | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 2nd | Jack Sanborn | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| LB | 3rd | Nick Herbig | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| LB | 4th | Noah Burks | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 5th | C.J. Goetz | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 6th | Bryan Sanborn | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| LB | 7th | Tatum Grass | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 8th | Mike Maskalunas | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 9th | Spencer Lytle | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| LB | 10th | Maema Njongmeta | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 11th | Darryl Peterson | SR | 6'1" | 260 | ★★★★ |
| LB | 12th | Jordan Turner | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 13th | Jake Chaney | — | — | — | — |
| LB | 14th | Jake Ratzlaff | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
Defensive Backs · 15
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB | 1st | Faion Hicks | — | — | — | — |
| CB | 2nd | Caesar Williams | — | — | — | — |
| CB | 3rd | Alexander Smith | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| CB | 4th | Max Lofy | — | — | — | — |
| CB | 5th | Ricardo Hallman | SR | 5'10" | 190 | — |
| CB | 6th | Amaun Williams | — | — | — | ★★ |
| DB | 1st | Dean Engram | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DB | 2nd | Donte Burton | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DB | 3rd | Semar Melvin | — | — | — | — |
| S | 1st | Scott Nelson | — | — | — | — |
| S | 2nd | Collin Wilder | — | — | — | — |
| S | 3rd | John Torchio | — | — | — | — |
| S | 4th | Travian Blaylock | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| S | 5th | Hunter Wohler | — | — | — | ★★★★ |
| S | 6th | Tyler Mais | — | — | — | — |
Special Teams · 5
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LS | 1st | Peter Bowden | — | — | — | — |
| P | 1st | Andy Vujnovich | — | — | — | — |
| P | 2nd | Conor Schlichting | — | — | — | — |
| PK | 1st | Collin Larsh | — | — | — | — |
| PK | 2nd | Jack Van Dyke | — | — | — | ★★★ |
2021 · pct vs FBS
SP+ Off
29.856
Off PPA
+0.1428
Pass PPA
+0.1720
Rush PPA
+0.1454
Success
45%68
Explosive
1.041
PlayerMedian (50th)percentile vs league
SP+ Trend
points vs avg team
— Overall— Offense— Defense
SP+ = opponent-adjusted points vs an average team. Overall & Offense higher = better; Defense lower = better.
Advanced
2021 · opponent-adjusted PPA / play
| Split | Offense | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | +0.14 | -0.01 |
| Passing | +0.17 | +0.04 |
| Rushing | +0.14 | -0.06 |
| 1st Down | +0.11 | -0.21 |
| 2nd Down | +0.15 | +0.10 |
| 3rd Down | +0.23 | +0.21 |
Scoring Trend
2021 · pts/game
PPG For
25.8
PPG Against
16.4
Differential
+9.4
— Points for— Points against
dots: W / LResults
2021
- Overall
- 8-4
- Home
- 5-2
- Away
- 3-1
- Neutral
- 0-1
- Conference
- 6-3
- Non-Conference
- 2-1
- One-Score (≤8)
- 2-1
- Avg Margin
- +9.4
Situational Splits
2021 · record · pts
| Split | Record | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | |||
| Home | 5-2 | 25.4 | 16.7 |
| Away | 3-1 | 29.8 | 9.8 |
| Neutral | 1-1 | 16.5 | 27.0 |
| Competition | |||
| vs Ranked (SP+ 25) | 0-4 | 13.3 | 29.5 |
| Conference | 6-3 | 27.0 | 15.0 |
| Non-conference | 3-1 | 21.8 | 18.8 |
Season History · last 12
0 AP top-10 · 10 postseason
| Season | Record | Conf | SP+ | AP | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4-8 | 2-7 | #85 | — | — |
| 2024 | 5-7 | 3-6 | #60 | — | — |
| 2023 | 7-5 | 5-4 | #29 | #19 | 0-1 |
| 2022 | 6-6 | 4-5 | #42 | #18 | 1-0 |
| 2021 | 8-4 | 6-3 | #7 | #12 | 1-0 |
| 2020 | 3-3 | 3-3 | #3 | — | 1-0 |
| 2019 | 10-3 | 7-3 | #11 | — | 0-1 |
| 2018 | 7-5 | 5-4 | #19 | — | 1-0 |
| 2017 | 12-1 | 9-1 | #3 | — | 1-0 |
| 2016 | 10-3 | 7-3 | #16 | — | 1-0 |
| 2015 | 9-3 | 6-2 | #21 | — | 1-0 |
| 2014 | 10-3 | 7-2 | #13 | — | 1-0 |
Recent Form · last 5
4-1 SU · 2-2 ATS · O3/U1
Betting Profile
2021 · 12 w/ line
| Straight up | 9-4 |
| ATS | 6-650% |
| Over / Under | 6-6 O-U |
| — ATS splits — | |
| As favorite | 6-6 |
| As underdog | 0-0 |
| Home | 3-4 |
| Away | 3-1 |
vs closing line · splits show cover–no cover
Recruiting Classes
avg #34 · 54 blue-chip
■ 5★■ 4★■ 3★165 rated signees
| Class | Natl | Pts | 5★ | 4★ | 3★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #27 | 227 | 0 | 7 | 8 |
| 2024 | #23 | 239 | 0 | 11 | 7 |
| 2023 | #58 | 188 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| 2022 | #44 | 194 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| 2021 | #15 | 241 | 1 | 8 | 6 |
| 2020 | #25 | 226 | 0 | 5 | 7 |
| 2019 | #29 | 220 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 2018 | #45 | 195 | 0 | 1 | 21 |
| 2017 | #39 | 194 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| 2016 | #35 | 203 | 0 | 3 | 15 |
247Sports composite · class rank vs all FBS
Roster Talent
talent #21
Returning prod 81%Departed 19%
Talent composite750.9 #21 / 224
Returning usage (pass / rush / rec)99 / 47 / 61
returning PPA · portal · talent composite · 2021
Injury Report · 0
No injuries reported.
Team News
17 items
- Wisconsin football's Luke Fickell earns surprising national rankingWisconsin Badgers football coach Luke Fickell has earned a surprising spot in The Sporting News' national rankings.WIS14h
- 2027 Wisconsin commit unexpectedly visits with prestigious SEC programBadgers' Evan Flood recently had a chance to break down prized Wisconsin Badgers commit Yahzeen Zion's visit to LSU.WIS14h
- Ranking Wisconsin football's 2026 home games by ticket pricesThe Wisconsin Badgers have six huge games coming up at Camp Randall Stadium this season.WIS1d
- LOOK: Wisconsin football legend unites with class of 2027 commitWisconsin Badgers football legend JJ Watt met up with a future member of UW's defensive unit on Saturday.WIS1d
- Is Badgers' Defensive Coordinator Mike Tressel one of the Best in the Big Ten?Does Mike Tressel deserve to be ranked amongst the Big Ten's best play-callers?WIS2d
- Way Too Early Wisconsin Football Opponent Preview: Western IllinoisMeet the opponent for the Badgers' opening game at Camp Randall in 2026WIS3d
- Badgers have No. 2 recruiting class in country after major commitThe Badgers are booming in the 2027 class.WIS3d
- What is the most expensive Wisconsin football home game in 2026?For Wisconsin Badgers fans looking to attend a football game at Camp Randall this season, the ticket prices aren't totally out of control.WIS4d
- Camp Randall Stadium excluded from toughest places to play in CFP27It's crazy to think how far the Wisconsin Badgers have fallen in the past two years alone.WIS4d
- Four-Star Badgers Commit's Senior Season of High School Suddenly in JeopardyA blue-chip tight end commit has a wrench thrown in his senior season.WIS5d
- Wisconsin Picks Three Redshirt Seniors to Represent the Badgers at Big Ten Media DaysThe Badgers will send three fifth-year seniors to Chicago.WIS5d
- Brooks, Cheeks, Jung will represent Wisconsin during Big Ten media daysBig Ten football media days are five weeks away, but Wisconsin's contingent is set. Here is a look at who will represent the Badgers in Chicago.WIS5d
- Ranking Wisconsin Football’s 2026 Schedule From Easiest to Hardest: Part 1The Badgers schedule is looking much better in 2026.WIS5d
- ESPN projects Badgers to win less than six games in 2026Will the Badgers be bowl eligible in 2026?WIS5d
- Three Badgers Who Should be Getting More Attention This OffseasonWhich Wisconsin football players should we be talking about more ahead of 2026?WIS6d
- One Big Sleeper at Each Position on Wisconsin Football's DefenseWho could surprise at each position on Mike Tressel's defense?WIS8d
- One Big Sleeper at Each Position on Wisconsin Football's OffenseWho could surprise at each position in Jeff Grimes' offense?WIS8d