After Luke Fickell and the Badgers opened the 2026 campaign with yet another disappointing loss to a highly-ranked team , there's an air of unease around Wisconsin football .
Everyone knew the No. 4 Fighting Irish were stacked, but now, the Badgers are under a lot of pressure to completely dominate an opponent against which they're currently a 40-point favorite and counting .
Saturday night in Madison is about more than bouncing back with a win. It's about reassuring Wisconsin fans that this team is trending in the right direction. That it can impose its will and dominate and inferior opponent. That it can author wire-to-wire domination against a severely overmatched foe.
But what do we specifically need to see from the Badgers to feel good about the young 2026 season? Badgers On SI breaks it down below:
Wisconsin offensive lineman Colin Cubberly. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
If there's any phase in which Wisconsin must absolutely manhandle Western Illinois , it's up front in the offensive trenches.
The Badgers are going to need a productive, physical offensive line this season to operate its offense fluently. It showed flashes of that against Notre Dame while clearly needing to take strides as well. If it can't dominate the line of scrimmage against Western Illinois, the weakest opponent on its schedule, that won't bode well for the rest of the season.
The Leathernecks have just two players that hit the 300-pound threshold along their defensive line. Wisconsin should have no issue moving bodies out of its way en route to a dominant rushing peformance while keeping quarterback Colton Joseph 's jersey squeaky clean.
Wisconsin cornerback Javan Robinson. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
In the second half, especially, Wisconsin's zone coverage did very little to mitigate CJ Carr and the Notre Dame passing attack. The Badgers' secondary surrendered 239 passing yards on 19-of-29 passing. The longest passing play they allowed was 30 yards; it wasn't an abysmal performance, but it certainly could've been better.
Still, that was against a preseason Heisman favorite at quarterback and one of the better offenses in the country overall. Against an FCS opponent, one that only mustered 10 points against Illinois State last week, Wisconsin's defensive backs need to have a tremendous day. You'd like to see the Badgers' defense dominate in all facets, of course, but if the Leathernecks procure some momentum via their passing game, that would be pretty concerning for a secondary that was widely expected to be vastly improved this fall.
Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Colton Joseph. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Badgers' QB1 is allowed to miss a throw here and there; he's not known for his flawless accuracy. Even against an FCS team, not every ball that leaves Joseph's hands is going to be perfect.
But the bigger point of emphasis for evaluating Joseph is his decision-making. Is the football going to the right place at the right time? Is he keeping it out of harms' way, putting it where only his receivers can get it? That translates regardless of who the opponent is.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/wisconsin as 3 Things Wisconsin Football Must Prove Against FCS Western Illinois .
