In a matchup against the class of the conference, Wisconsin was woefully reminded of the gap that remains with college football's elite in a loss to Ohio State. After an ugly loss on the road, the Badgers return to the friendly confines of Camp Randall to welcome old friend Bret Bielema and the Fighting Illini.
BadgerBlitz.com revisits our 3-2-1 feature to look back at three takeaways from the past week, two questions heading into the next game and one bold prediction for the Week 5 contest against Illinois.
THREE THINGS WE LEARNED
1. Wisconsin downward trajectory reaches new low
Since a 2019 season in which the Badgers were painstakingly close to a Big Ten title and Rose Bowl victory, Wisconsin is just 15-9. That record falls to 15-11 with the Big Ten championship and Rose Bowl games included.
Across that span, the Badgers rank as a program knocking on the door of conference titles and New Years Six bowls is as shaky as ever. Against ranked opponents, UW has been just 2-9 since the team squandered a golden opportunity to win a Big Ten title. The two wins came a season ago on the road at No. 25 Purdue on Oct. 23, and then a week later at home against No. 9 Iowa. That's it.
With those on the outside of the team concerned about the direction of the program, head coach Paul Chryst was asked after the loss what his message would be to those fans.
"My message to our team is, yeah we don’t want to be where we’re at right now, but we have an opportunity to go forward," Chryst said. "I care about our fans but what I care most about is our team. I feel good about the group of guys that I get to be around and coach and appreciate and feel good about the staff that I get to work with.
"I get people not being happy with where we’re at right now. They’re no more disappointed than I think anyone in the program is, but I also know we come back and we got to bounce back from this stuff. That’s a part of it. We want to have a team people are proud of but my biggest concern is getting our guys to play good football."
Suffering their worst loss since the 2014 when it was blanked, 59-0, against the Buckeyes, the Badgers once again failed to size up against top competition.
2. Wisconsin battered with injuries
