Overview

• The Badgers sit at 2-2 after back-to-back losses, including a blowout at home to Maryland, entering the season’s first break on a downswing.
• Team metrics have cratered outside the top 50, with the offense ranked 113th in yards per game and the turnover margin tied for 108th, even as the defense shows pockets of strength.
• Key injuries include quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., center Jake Renfro and safety Preston Zachman, and the offensive line has yielded four sacks against Alabama and six against Maryland.
• Five of the next eight opponents are ranked, with Michigan up next on Oct. 4 followed by dates with Ohio State, Oregon and Washington in a punishing stretch.
• ESPN lists Wisconsin as a heavy underdog in several games — 11% at Michigan, 10.8% vs. Ohio State and 4.8% at Oregon — and its FPI projects roughly 3.9 wins for the season, while public criticism of Luke Fickell has intensified.