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By Cameron Kiszla
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The college football season is nearly upon us, and one analyst believes there's one Big Ten team that could surprise the sport.
Speaking on the "College GameDay" podcast, Pete Thamel identified the Wisconsin Badgers as his sleeper team.
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"I am going to take the Wisconsin Badgers," he said. "I am excited to see this team open against Notre Dame in Lambeau. I think that's a great setting for football. It'll be fun to see. And quite frankly, the Badgers need to take a Lambeau Leap or Luke Fickell is not going to be the coach there anymore."
Referencing the Badgers' past three seasons under Fickell — 7-6, 5-7, 4-8 — Thamel sought to explain the apparent regression.
"The case for Wisconsin this year is a pretty simple one. They have had dreadful quarterback injury luck," he said.
Looking at Tanner Mordecai and his broken hand in 2023, Tyler Van Dyke's torn ACL in 2024 and the non-contact injury suffered in the 2025 season opener by Billy Edwards, Thamel calculated that the intended starter has missed 26 games for the Badgers in the last three seasons.
Fortunately, a transfer QB is providing some hope in Madison.
"Now, they were bad in other places. It's not just the quarterback luck, but if Colton Joseph, who comes from Old Dominion, is a productive guy who can run the ball, if he can stay healthy for the whole thing, they have finally fortified the the roster," Thamel explained.
Thamel said there was "overt excitement" about this Badgers squad at Big Ten Media Days, and he thinks they can turn the hype into success.
"I'm of the belief that Luke Fickell, who brought Cincinnati to the College Football Playoff, one of the more resounding accomplishments in the last quarter century in college football, didn't forget how to coach," he said. "So, I think Wisconsin will surge back ... You could tell that Fickle really likes his team and I think the Badgers will surprise a few folks and get the weathervane headed in the right direction in Madison."
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