Wisconsin — Big Ten
HC
Luke Fickell · Camp Randall Stadium · Madison, WI · 80,321 cap
PPA off / def
0.02 / 0.17
2025
Class rank
#78
class of 2026
Returning PPA
31%
returning production
vs Ohio State — OSU leads 64–18
| 2025 |
OSU W 34–0 | away |
| 2023 |
OSU W 24–10 | away |
| 2022 |
OSU W 52–21 | Columbus |
| 2019 |
OSU W 34–21 | away |
| 2019 |
OSU W 38–7 | Columbus |
| 2017 |
OSU W 27–21 | away |
| 2016 |
OSU W 30–23 | away |
| 2014 |
OSU W 59–0 | Columbus |
| 2013 |
OSU W 31–24 | Columbus |
| 2012 |
OSU W 21–14 | away |
| + 77 earlier meetings in archive |
2026 schedule
2025 results (4–8)
Statistical comps — 2025 Wisconsin's closest analogs
Nearest neighbors by z-scored success rate, explosiveness, run rate & havoc (offense + defense), 2015–25.
2025 leaders
Transfer portal — 2026 (33 in / 25 out)
Origins
Alvarez inherited a 1-10 team in 1990 and left with three Rose Bowl wins and a permanent identity: enormous offensive linemen, a 1,500-yard back, and Camp Randall jumping between the third and fourth quarters.
Founded 1848 · Land-grant university chartered the year Wisconsin became a state · first football 1889 · defined by Barry Alvarez
All-time record
All-time
746–528–52
1892–2025
Win %
58.2%
134 seasons played
Winning seasons
85
63% of seasons
| Best seasons | W | L | Conference |
|---|
| 2017 | 13 | 1 | Big Ten |
| 2006 | 12 | 1 | Big Ten |
| 1998 | 11 | 1 | Big Ten |
| 2010 | 11 | 2 | Big Ten |
| 2016 | 11 | 3 | Big Ten |
Season records from CollegeFootballData, which is why the span starts at 1892 — that is where its coverage of this program begins, not necessarily the first year it fielded a team.
Play-calling tendencies (2025 · garbage time excluded)
| Situation | Plays | Run % | Success % | Nat'l | Avg yds | Expl % |
|---|
| 1st down | 247 | 61% |
35% | 129 of 136 | 4.6 | 9% |
| 2nd down | 195 | 56% |
38% | 101 of 136 | 5.0 | 9% |
| 3rd & short (≤3) | 32 | 81% |
56% | — | 2.8 | 0% |
| 3rd & medium (4–7) | 54 | 46% |
30% | — | 4.5 | 9% |
| 3rd & long (8+) | 47 | 32% |
17% | — | 3.9 | 9% |
| 4th down | 17 | 47% |
65% | — | 6.9 | 12% |
127 drives · 18% ended in points · 6.8 plays and 31.9 yards per drive · 0.15 PPA per drive
Success: 50% of yardage needed on 1st, 70% on 2nd, 100% on 3rd/4th. Explosive: 12+ yd rush / 16+ yd pass. National rank is shown only for 1st and 2nd down, where every team has 100+ plays; the later buckets average 18-43 and a rank there would be noise.
League leaderboard →Most valuable plays (by PPA, 2025)
| Wk | Opp | Play | Yds | PPA |
|---|
| 13 | Illinois |
(09:44) Shotgun #6 D.Dupree rush middle for 84 yards gain to the ILL00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 09… |
84 | 7.04 |
| 12 | Indiana |
(03:48) #5 C.Smith pass complete short middle to #86 L.Mason caught at IND27, for 45 yards… |
45 | 5.43 |
| 14 | Minnesota |
(02:07) Shotgun #15 H.Simmons pass complete deep right to #8 V.Anthony II caught at WISC50… |
67 | 5.05 |
| 9 | Oregon |
(09:12) No Huddle #15 H.Simmons pass complete deep right to #13 E.Hilton Jr. caught at ORE… |
42 | 4.87 |
| 2 | Middle Tennessee |
Trech Kekahuna run for 61 yds for a TD (Nathanial Vakos KICK) |
61 | 4.86 |
| 2 | Middle Tennessee |
Danny O'Neil pass complete to Jayden Ballard for 58 yds for a TD (Nathanial Vakos KICK) |
58 | 4.56 |
| 11 | Washington |
(12:14) #91 S.West pass complete short middle to #34 J.Acker caught at WIS45, for 24 yards… |
24 | 3.92 |
| 3 | Alabama |
Danny O'Neil pass complete to Jayden Ballard for 41 yds for a TD (Nathanial Vakos KICK) |
41 | 3.73 |