UCLA is set to enter its third season in the Big Ten following a sophomore campaign in which the program captured three NCAA championships – the most of any Big Ten school. The conference as a whole saw 10 different national titles to its name in the most recent competitive cycle. Daily Bruin Sports will preview the football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and other top programs of each Big Ten rival.
Football
2025 record: 4-8, 2-7 Big Ten
Coach: Luke Fickell
Player to watch: Colton Joseph
Wisconsin isn’t well known for football.
After an abysmal 2025 campaign, coach Luke Fickell will be looking to flip the script in his fourth season with the Badgers.
But it won’t be easy.
The Badgers kick off their season Sept. 6 against No. 4 Notre Dame, with challenging opponents Penn State, Michigan State and Purdue up on the docket. They will also travel to Pasadena to take on the Bruins on Oct. 17.
But the squad has incoming power for the 2026 campaign.
Quarterback Colton Joseph transferred to Wisconsin from Old Dominion, where he was named the 2025 Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year and an All-Sun Belt Second Team selection. He placed second in the country with 15.2 yards per completion, and his 6.4 yards per carry placed him 12th nationally.
Across the 2025 campaign, he was one of just two quarterbacks nationwide to reach 2,000-plus passing yards and 1,000-plus rushing yards. Joseph also became the seventh signal caller since 2016 to tally 2,000-plus passing yards, 1,000-plus rushing yards and 15-plus yards per completion.
The Badgers also snatched running back Abu Sama III from the transfer portal after his breakout junior season at Iowa State, where he recorded a career-high 732 yards on 140 carries with five touchdowns across 12 games.
Wisconsin has retained some stars as well.
Linebacker Mason Posa prepares to begin his second season with the Badgers. In 2025, he was named a FWAA Freshman All-American, Third Team All-Big Ten according to coaches, On3 Freshman All-American and 247Sports Freshman All-American.
His accolades were well earned. Posa had five starts across 11 appearances, concluding his collegiate debut year with 61 tackles, four sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. In his first start against Oregon on Oct. 25, he recorded a season-best 13 tackles.
Posa followed that up with 11 tackles and 2.5 sacks against Washington on Nov. 8, earning Big Ten Freshman of the Week for his game-winning stop on the final drive. Against the eventual national champion Indiana, he recorded 12 tackles and a sack on eventual Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza.
Fickell’s squad will have to step up to the plate in their first game, utilizing both new talent and veteran experience alike. But if they crumble, it may indicate another long season ahead.
Men’s basketball
2025-2026 record: 24-11, 14-6 Big Ten
Coach: Greg Gard
Player to watch: Nolan Winter
The Badgers made a statement last season.
With ranked upsets and an appearance in the Big Ten tournament semifinal, where they were eliminated by eventual national champion Michigan, the Badgers proved their potential.
And the breakout stars are coming back.
Seven-footer forward Nolan Winter is set to begin his senior season with the Badgers. In his junior campaign, he started in 30 games, averaging 13.1 points per game. He placed fourth in the Big Ten and led the team with 8.5 rebounds per game. Winter also appeared on the Big Ten leaderboards at second in double-doubles with 12 – good for the third-most in a single season in program history.
He burst onto the scene the season before that, leading the Big Ten in two-point percentage at a 71.5% clip. Winters started in all 37 games, scoring 15 points and going 6-for-6 in his first career start against Holy Cross. He led the team in rebounds, averaging 5.8 per game, and became the first Badger to collect 17 rebounds in a single game since 2002. On top of that, he tallied three double-doubles and posted a then-career-high 20 points during the Indy Classic.
Forward Austin Rapp will also return to Wisconsin. Averaging 9.7 points, four rebounds and 1.6 assists in his sophomore season after transferring from Portland, he quickly identified himself as a key piece in the frontcourt. He also popped onto the national radar with the fourth-most threes per game as a player 6-foot-10 or taller.
While Rapp is one of the six international players for the Badgers, guard Jack Janicki is one of a kind.
Janicki came to Wisconsin as a preferred walk-on, turning down multiple other high-major scholarship offers. Having redshirted his first year, he has since appeared in all 63 games for the Badgers. In his junior campaign, he was fourth on the team in steals with 17. Janicki’s role as a key player was further established with six different five-plus point performances across the 2025-26 season.
While Wisconsin may have been knocked out in High Point’s upset run in the NCAA tournament, they have the talent to make a stronger showing in the upcoming season.
Women’s basketball
2025-2026 record: 16-18, 5-13 Big Ten
Coach: Robin Pingeton
Player to watch: Kadidia Toure
It was a tough season.
Wisconsin struggled in the Big Ten, with Illinois knocking them out of the tournament in the first round.
And this season may not be any easier – unless incoming talent helps them turn things around.
Forward Kadidia Toure comes to Wisconsin after playing in 87 games throughout her time at three different schools. She was the 2025-26 NEC Player of the Year, averaging 19.2 points and 10.3 rebounds while leading the conference in scoring, rebounding, field goals, free throws and double-doubles. Toure concluded her senior season with 596 points and 321 rebounds at Long Island.
Her performance earned her U.S. Basketball Writers Association National Player of the Week, Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association Player of the Week and multiple NEC Player of the Week honors.
The Badgers also have incoming transfer guard Addie Deal to bolster their roster.
The sophomore spent her freshman season with Iowa, where she started in three of the 34 games she played in. She ended her collegiate debut season with 173 points, 56 assists and 39 rebounds, earning her a spot on the All-Big Ten Freshman Team. She shot at a .394 clip from the field with an average of 5.1 points and 1.2 rebounds per game.
And Deal and Toure have their work cut out for them with the departure of point guard Ronnie Porter.
Across her four seasons with the Badgers, she appeared in 122 games – ninth-highest in program history – averaging 6.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. Porter is one of five Badgers to reach over 400 rebounds and assists, tallying 450 boards and 463 assists.
Porter also led the team in assists for three consecutive seasons and recorded the fourth-most in program history. She was the only returning starter from the 2024-25 season, and with her absence, the Badgers will have to push to fill the gap.
Only time will tell if Wisconsin’s incoming crop of players will blend with its veterans enough to flip the script from the 2025-26 season.
Women’s volleyball
2025 record: 28-5, 17-3 Big Ten, NCAA tournament semifinal loss
Coach: Kelly Sheffield
Player to watch: Charlie Fuerbringer
Wisconsin volleyball has always been a threat.
And this season is no different.
After a narrow five-set loss to No. 1 seed Kentucky in the 2025 national semifinal, Wisconsin has given itself a challenge for the 2026 season. With six matches under its belt – five of which were against ranked opponents – the Badgers are putting themselves to the test.
Ranked No. 2 in the Big Ten Volleyball Preseason Poll and No. 6 nationally, the Badgers nabbed their first national championship in 2021 after a five-set thriller against Nebraska.
And early individual stars are already being identified.
Setter Charlie Fuerbringer and middle blocker Jaela Auguste were listed to the Big Ten Volleyball Preseason All-Conference Team.
Fuerbringer – who was named to the 2025 All-Big Ten First Team – played in 24 matches, having missed nine games to injury. She had a career-best 63 assists against Kentucky in the national semifinals. Coming out of high school, she was the No. 1 setter in the country according to PrepVolleyball.
Auguste is new to the Wisconsin program, having spent the previous two seasons with Florida. She was listed as a 2025 AVCA Third Team All-American and was named to the 2025 AVCA Southeast Region First Team, All-SEC First Team and Preseason All-SEC Team. Auguste also made the 2025 USA Volleyball U-21 National Team roster.
And the Spring, Texas, local isn’t the only powerful newcomer.
Outside hitter Audrey Flanagan comes to Wisconsin as a two-time Costa Indoor Most Offensive Player. She was the 2024 Bay League Most Outstanding Player and a 2025 AVCA First Team All-American. Out of high school, Flanagan was ranked fourth overall for the class of 2026 per PrepVolleyball, No. 5 overall and No. 3 by position according to PrepDig.
Whether the Badgers can replicate their postseason success in 2026 is yet to be seen, but with a strong roster, they seem ready to go the distance.
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