Only 55 days remain before the Wisconsin Badgers take the field against the Western Michigan Broncos to start their 2024 campaign. For an easier measurement: only seven more Saturdays remain before Week 1’s full slate of action.
The upcoming season could be a turning point for the Wisconsin program. Head coach Luke Fickell is entering his second year at the helm, looking to convert another full year of continuity and program overhaul into on-field wins. If Wisconsin is to rise in the coming years under the promising head coach, 2024 would be the first step forward on that path.
Now, there are real questions entering the year. Wisconsin has new faces set to start on both sides of the ball, plus will face one of the nation’s toughest schedules. Those obstacles exist while the Big Ten expands to 18 teams and eliminates the old East-West division model. The Badgers making a run back to the Big Ten Championship or to the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff would require a truly special season.
Our specific season preview work will continue up until the kickoff of Week 1 (including why Nov. 2 at Iowa is Wisconsin’s most important game of the season). But now, it’s time for a wider look at the Badgers entering 2024.
I plan to make this a recurring column on this site: 10 takes or 10 developing opinions about the state of the Wisconsin program. Then we’ll check in on the progress throughout and after the season. Some thoughts will be correct, others won’t be. But it is a holistic way of discussing and engaging with the current state of affairs.
Here is the first edition of the 10 Takes column, entering a pivotal Year 2 of the Luke Fickell era:
Wisconsin athletic director Chris McIntosh used the word championships often when explaining the rational behind hiring Luke Fickell as head coach. That goal and path should not change.
But the short-term expectations need to be lowered. The program is coming off a 7-6 season against one of the easiest schedules in the country. Now, the Big Ten’s divisions are gone, which leads to Wisconsin facing a brutal schedule every season. An 8-4 record moving forward could mean the same thing that 10-2 meant in the 2010s.
A 7-5 or 8-4 record in 2024 would be a win for Fickell and the program, especially if clear improvement is seen on both sides of the ball.
The long-term expectations can stay (though another poor season may need to call those into question as well). But the short-term expectations need to be lowered. It will be an entirely different sport in 2024.
