Where Wisconsin football's Week 1 opponent landed in MAC preseason coaches poll
The opener will be Wisconsin's third straight against a MAC opponent. The Badgers defeated Buffalo 38-17 to open the 2023 season, then triumphed over Western Michigan 28-14 to open 2024.
The Miami (OH) matchup will open what is a gauntlet 2025 schedule for Luke Fickell's program. Following a Week 2 contest against Middle Tennessee State, Wisconsin travels to Alabama (No. 3 in ESPN's Football Power Index) in Week 3, visits Michigan (No. 17) in Week 6, hosts Iowa (No. 39) and Ohio State (No. 4) in Weeks 7 and 8, respectively, visits Oregon (No. 6) in Week 9, hosts Washington (No. 27) in Week 11, then closes the season at Indiana (No. 31) in Week 12, vs. Illinois (No. 44) in Week 13 and at Minnesota (No. 43) in Week 14.
Week 1 vs. Miami (OH), Week 2 vs. Middle Tennessee State and Week 5 vs. Maryland appear to be the only lighter matchups on the schedule. That is, light in comparison to the rest of the team's opponents. Miami (OH) is still a formidable MAC team -- it recently slotted in at No. 2 in the conference's preseason coaches poll.
However, while the second-best MAC team entering the season, the RedHawks rank No. 79 nationally in ESPN's FPI and No. 96 in SP+. Anything less than a decisive victory would be a disappointment for a Wisconsin team with expectations of a resurgence entering the season.
Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
12 hours ago
- USA Today
Oklahoma Sooners don't have the toughest schedule in the SEC per CBS Sports
There's a lot of optimism about the Oklahoma Sooners as they get set to start fall camp on Wednesday. But there's also the reality of the schedule. It's one of the toughest schedules in the country based on the metrics. The Oklahoma Sooners face nine teams inside the top 25 of ESPN's Football Power Index in 2025. The Sooners' schedule opens with FCS Illinois State, but then Oklahoma welcomes the Michigan Wolverines to town for a critical nonconference game. Oklahoma plays four of the top contenders to win the SEC in 2025 in Texas, South Carolina, Alabama, and LSU. There's no doubt it's a tough schedule, but not the toughest in the SEC, according to CBS Sports' Brandon Marcello. Marcello had the Sooners' slate ranked as the fourth most difficult schedule in the SEC in 2025. The Sooners came in behind Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, and Arkansas and sat just one spot in front of the Florida Gators. Oklahoma plays Temple before they play Auburn and has a bye week before they travel to Tuscaloosa to take on Alabama. The Sooners play Kent State before facing the Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl. The Sooners have a tough four-game stretch that starts with Texas and a road trip to South Carolina. They'll then take on Ole Miss before traveling to Knoxville to play the Tennessee Volunteers. OU's second bye week offers a bit of a reprieve, but then Oklahoma takes on Alabama, Missouri, and LSU to close the regular season. If there's one thing that the Sooners have going for them, it's that Michigan, Texas, Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, Ole Miss, and Missouri will all have a new starting quarterback. Of that group, only Auburn's Jackson Arnold and Tennessee's Joey Aguilar have significant starting experience at the collegiate level. Oklahoma only faces two quarterbacks in LaNorris Sellers and Garrett Nussmeier, who started for their teams in 2024. Quarterback turnover doesn't guarantee the Sooners anything, but in a year where Oklahoma will have a good defense, facing some inexperienced quarterbacks along the way should make the schedule a little more manageable. Brent Venables believes the Sooners will rise to the occassion, regardless of the perceived difficulty of the schedule. 'We've got a lot to prove, and I like that," Venables said. "We know what our team is capable of. There's no game on our schedule that we can't win.' It's a huge season for Oklahoma, coming off of a 6-7 season in 2024. If they've made improvements along the offensive line and have better injury luck, there's no reason why the Sooners can't compete in the SEC. Oklahoma Sooners 2025 Football Schedule Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.
USA Today
18 hours ago
- USA Today
49ers Training Camp: Could San Francisco start three rookies in their front seven in 2025?
The San Francisco 49ers are motoring through their 2025 training camp at the SAP Performance Facility next to Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, and that includes their first padded practice session of the year on Monday. With pads on, coaches and players can get a much better idea of how they'll play in games than jerseys, pants and shells. That is especially true for the defense, as they can finally use some of that physicality when making tackles or taking on blockers. Through five days of camp, the 49ers have had a few players stand out, but the three defensive linemen that they took in the first four rounds of the 2025 NFL draft - Mykel Williams, Alfred Collins and CJ West - have stood out. If they're all practicing like they have been, and it continues into the preseason games, they may all earn starting roles, or at least key rotational roles, when the regular season comes along. Williams, 21, was San Francisco's first selection this year (No. 11 overall) after a two-time All-SEC career at Georgia that included a national championship. He should be the team's starting edge rusher opposite Nick Bosa, with Bryce Huff, who the 49ers acquired in a trade this offseason, likely playing a fair amount as well. Collins, 23, played at Texas from 2020-24, earning All-SEC and All-American honors last year before the 49ers took him in the second round (No. 43 overall). At 6-foot-6 and 332 pounds, Collins is a physical presence, who entered training camp with the expectation that he'll push out one of Jordan Elliott or Kevin Givens in the interior defensive line. West, 23, spent four seasons at Kent State (2020-23), where he earned All-MAC honors once, before transferring to Indiana for his final year in college. San Francisco took him in the fourth round (No. 113 overall) this year, and while many penciled him in as a backup in 2025, his performance on Monday have some questioning that decision. Even defensive coordinator Robert Saleh had positive things to say about the former Hoosier after his dominance. 'He's like a little fire hydrant, right? He's powerful. He's got heavy hands,' Saleh said during his media availability after the session. 'He's going to be fine. He's like a lot of rookies, there are so many things that they're learning, especially on the interior of the D-Line where it's a game within a game. You know, the first thing they learn is pocket push and then they learn how to capture an edge and rush from there. I wasn't there. I heard he did a really nice job over there, but I'm excited to get to the tape to see it.' With Williams all but guaranteed a starting role in Week 1, Collins and West are the questions of the trio. They'll have to do enough to unseat Elliott, who played 41.3% of defensive snaps last year and is entering the final year of a two-year, $7 million deal, and Givens, who played 17.3% of the snaps in 2024 and re-signed with San Francisco on a one-year, $2.05 million deal this offseason. It's going to take a lot of work from the rookies, but if they keep this up, all three could be on the field for the first defensive snaps of the season against the Seattle Seahawks on Sep. 7. And, if that's the case, not only will it speak to the front office's impressive work, but it will also set them up with a strong base to build on for years to come. However, it's still a little early for that. Let's let them get a second padded practice in before we put them down on the depth chart in permanent marker. More 49ers: 49ers roster move may be good news for WR dealing with potentially scary injury
USA Today
21 hours ago
- USA Today
Wisconsin football offers one of Sacramento State's class of 2027 commits
Wisconsin football extended an offer to class of 2027 wide receiver Chance McPike Jr. on Monday. Notably, McPike committed to Sacramento State on July 4. His offer sheet has grown since that date, with Wisconsin, Purdue and Eastern Kentucky all joining his recruitment. The Paducah, Kentucky, native also holds offers from Kentucky, Michigan State, Missouri, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Tennessee and others. 247Sports has yet to assign a star rating or position ranking to the 6-foot-1 wide receiver. Despite his commitment to Sacramento State, On3/Rivals lists Missouri as the current favorite in his recruitment at 50%, with Ole Miss (22.9%) and Tennessee (19.6%) also top contenders. McPike Jr. joins Wisconsin's loaded group of wide receiver offers in the class of 2027. That list also includes five-star prospects Monshun Sales and Lawrence Britt, as well as top-ranked four-stars Myles McAfee, Quentin Burrell, Kesean Bowman (Oregon commit), Dakota Guerrant and Damani Warren. Wisconsin has yet to land a commitment in the 2027 cycle. Its primary focus remains on 2026, where the program's class of 14 commitments ranks just No. 60 nationally and No. 16 in the Big Ten. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
