I really don’t know what to expect from Wisconsin anymore. Just when I start feeling pretty good about this team, something happens that makes me question it again. At 5-3, I guess that’s about what you would expect.
The good news for the Badgers is there is still plenty of season left. They get Rutgers at home, then go to Maryland and Purdue before Minnesota comes to Camp Randall for the finale. I look at those four games and don’t see one that Wisconsin can’t win.
That leaves Wisconsin with a pretty wide range of possibilities. Four games is enough time to change how this season looks when it’s over. But getting to eight wins feels very possible, and nine isn’t out of the question either.
7-5 would feel like Wisconsin left something out there
I think seven wins has to be the floor from here. Wisconsin only needs to split the final four to get there, and looking at who is left on the schedule, I’d be disappointed if that’s all the Badgers managed.
That doesn’t mean 7-5 would make the season a failure. Wisconsin would be back in a bowl game and would have taken a step forward from where things have been the last couple of years. I just think there’s a chance to do more than that now.
If Wisconsin finishes 7-5, we’re probably going to look back at November and find at least one game the Badgers should have won. That’s why seven wins wouldn’t do much for me at this point. The opportunity sitting in front of them is better than that.
8-4 feels like the most realistic finish
Eight wins sounds about right to me. I just can’t bring myself to pick Wisconsin to win every game that’s left. I’m expecting at least one more Saturday where I’m wondering what happened.
Even with that one loss, the Badgers would still finish 3-1 over the final month. I’d take that. After missing a bowl the last two years, getting to eight wins would finally feel like Wisconsin is moving somewhere again.
Then you still have the bowl game. Get another win there and Wisconsin finishes with nine, which looks a whole lot different than where this program was a year ago. I don’t think many people saw that as a possibility a couple of months ago.
9-3 isn’t as crazy as it sounds
I’m not picking Wisconsin to finish 9-3, but I can’t completely rule it out either. Look at the four teams left and tell me which one the Badgers have no chance of beating. I can’t find one.
The hard part is doing it four weeks in a row. That’s where I have my doubts. I’ve seen Wisconsin look like a really good football team this season, but I haven’t seen it nearly enough to expect four straight wins.
If they somehow get there, I’ll admit I didn’t see it coming. Nine wins would completely change the way I look at this season, especially after the last two years. And then you’d still have a bowl game with a chance to get to 10.
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