ESPN predicts Wisconsin football's remaining schedule after USC upset

With only five regular-season games remaining, things have gotten really interesting for the Wisconsin Badgers.

This is a team that wasn't bowl-eligible in each of the last two seasons, but suddenly they could lock that up as soon as Saturday, Oct. 31.

A win on Halloween at Iowa would further prove just how different this Luke Fickell-led team is, if that wasn't already abundantly clear with their win at Penn State and recent blowout victory vs. USC.

Here in 2026, the Badgers have their eyes set on not just a bowl game, but potentially even a Big Ten Championship appearance, or to set their hopes even higher, the College Football Playoffs.

In order to do that, it's going to take a bit of help from the rest of the top 25, along with going 5-0 to end the regular season.

ESPN predicts Wisconsin football's remaining schedule

• Saturday, Oct. 31: 42.7% chance to win at Iowa
• Saturday, Nov. 7: 90.0% chance to win vs. Rutgers
• Saturday, Nov. 14: 81.5% chance to win at Maryland
• Saturday, Nov. 21: 68.8% chance to win at Purdue
• Friday, Nov. 27: 81.6% chance to win vs. Minnesota

Badgers projected final record: 9-3 (7-2)

Wisconsin being underdogs at Iowa isn't too surprising, though UW has all the momentum with Iowa coming off a shocking loss to Minnesota.

Speaking of Minnesota, ESPN's odds against the Golden Gophers are by far the most surprising, given how well Minnesota has played this season.

The odds make sense for the other three games, though Wisconsin must be careful as they could be in for a potential trap game at Purdue.

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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: ESPN predicts Wisconsin football's remaining schedule after USC upset