Week Twelve Primer – No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers vs. Wisconsin Badgers

What: #2 Indiana Hoosiers (10-0) vs. Wisconsin Badgers (3-6)

When: Saturday, November 15 at Noon

Where: Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, IN

How to Watch: The game will be broadcast on BTN and can be heard on the IU Radio Network.

Spread and Total: IU (-29.5) | Total of 43.5

Series History: The Indiana Hoosiers and Wisconsin Badgers have played 63 times with the Badgers dominating the proceedings since the mid-1990s. Since 1993, the Badgers have won 16 of the 20 meetings including an infamous stretch from 2010 to 2013 that saw Wisconsin embarrass IU 83-20, 59-7, 62-14 and 51-3. The Hoosiers have won the past two meetings with the most recent win coming in 2023. Of course, this will be Curt Cignetti’s first meeting with Wisconsin as the head coach at Indiana and that makes the history of this matchup largely irrelevant.

What’s at Stake: As we wrote a couple of weeks ago, every game for the Indiana Hoosiers has escalating stakes and pressure. That’s the nature of being ranked second in the country and being in the driver’s seat for a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game and potentially receiving a bye in the College Football Playoff. The intensity and pressure of being in the chase for a Big Ten Championship and a shot at a national title are thrilling but the pressure is certainly on the Hoosiers and I think everyone felt that last weekend in a tight game at Penn State.

Beyond that, IU can lock up a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game with a victory over the Badgers and a bit of help elsewhere. Wisconsin has already announced that head coach Luke Fickell will be returning next season. The Badgers technically can still make a bowl game by winning out.

A Few Things to Look For

Defense Leads the Way

We’ll start with the positive for the Wisconsin Badgers: the defense has been very good for Luke Fickell’s team. The Badgers have limited opponents to only 22.3 points per game and they’ve gotten better in the past couple of weeks. Oregon only scored 21 points in Eugene and they held Washington to less than 260 yards and just 10 points in a win over the Huskies in Madison.

Despite getting little help from their offense, the Wisconsin defense is 24^th in the country in yards allowed per game (331.6), 28^th in third-down conversion allowed (35.14%), 33^rd in rushing yards per attempt (3.7) and 34^th in sack percentage (7.14%). The linebackers are really good and this is a very solid unit that has been let down by an inept offensive attack. Fernando Mendoza should be able to find some success against this Wisconsin secondary if the IU offensive line can keep the pocket clean.

2. No Answers on Offense

The Indiana Hoosiers are second in the country in scoring offense, averaging 41.3 points per game and behind only North Texas (43.6). Wisconsin is on the other side of the national rankings, all the way down at 134^th with just 12.6 points per game. That places them ahead of only Northern Illinois and UMass and dead-last among power conference teams.

In six Big Ten games, Wisconsin has scored a total of 40 points. IU will likely see multiple quarterbacks on Saturday afternoon as Danny O’Neil, Hunter Simmons and freshman Carter Smith all saw action against Washington.

Carter Smith struggled mightily as a passer but Smith is a good athlete and he ran the ball 15 times for 47 yards with a touchdown and the Badgers will almost certainly try to play this game at a snail’s pace, keep the clock moving by running the ball and try to limit IU’s offensive possessions. The question will be whether or not this offense is capable of executing that plan against Bryant Haines’ defense.

3. An Answer on Luke Fickell’s Future

The Wisconsin Badgers athletic director released a statement and made himself available to the media, letting everyone know that Luke Fickell would be returning as the head coach at Wisconsin for a fifth season.

Despite sliding backwards during his tenure and a high-level of fan discontent in Madison, Fickell will get another crack and the athletic director has promised an increased level of investment in order to help him field a competitive squad. To Fickell’s credit, his team responded to the endorsement by rallying to beat Washington so they clearly have not quit on the season.

4. Senior Day for Foundational Pieces

If things go according to plan, this will be the final home game for some players that have been integral in the building of the IU program. On defense, that includes players like Aiden Fisher, Mikail Kamara and Louis Moore. On offense, the list includes Khalil Benson, Kaelon Black and Elijah Sarratt. This group of players, this coaching staff and this team is taking Indiana fans on a ride we are never going to forget and they deserve as boisterous and raucous of a home finale as possible.