Wisconsin Badgers will need to master the art of the upset with tough 2025 football schedule

For the Wisconsin Badgers to reach the heights they want to achieve this season, theyre going to have to pull off some upsets.

Based on win totals and odds, Luke Fickells squad will likely be an underdog for many of their key games this season.

Theyll need to embrace that David and Goliath role and surprise some teams this year.

The problem is, since Fickell took over as head coach, Wisconsin is 1-9 as underdogs.

That record will have to improve for the team to get back to a bowl game this season.

The Badgers should be favored against teams like Maryland and Middle Tennessee, but the rest of the matchups will be tighter battles.

To pull off some upsets, Wisconsin has a couple of possible approaches to take, which could be matchup dependent.

For some opponents, it might be smarter to take a conservative, ball-control approach.

Slowing the game down, sticking to the running game and shooting for a low-scoring contest can be effective if youre worried about the firepower of the opposing offense.

Sometimes, keeping the ball out of their hands is one of the best defensive strategies.

Bigger, more physical teams might be willing to play right into that, though, and grind you down in a war of attrition.

In those cases, the Badgers might be better off going for a more aggressive approach and taking their chances with a high-variance gameplan.

That means taking deep shots on offense and going all-out for turnovers on defense, even if you risk making mistakes along the way.

Its a boom-or-bust approach, knowing that the only way youre going to beat the opponent is if you hit on your big plays.

You figure that you were likely to lose anyway, so if you miss on those big plays, youre not really any worse off.

Wisconsin struggled to execute either of these approaches last season, but an older roster with a new offensive coordinator might be in a better position to pull off a few upsets and get back in bowl game contention.

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