Luke Fickell knows his schedule for what is likely a make or break season for the embattled Wisconsin football coach. While the Badgers already knew what their first three games of 2026 would look like — against a likely top-10 Notre Dame team at Lambeau Field to open the year, followed by home g ames against Western Illinois and Eastern Michigan — they found out Tuesday how the Big Ten schedule will play out in the fourth year of Fickell’s tenure in Madison. Things will get started with a trip to Happy Valley to face new Penn State coach Matt Campbell and the Nittany Lions on Sept. 26. Wisconsin hasn’t beaten Penn State since 2011 and hasn’t won at Beaver Stadium since 2003. The Badgers will see another new coach the following week when former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald brings Michigan State to Camp Randall Stadium on Oct. 3. It will be the Spartans first visit to Madison since 2019. After a bye the weekend of Oct. 10, Wisconsin will head west to face UCLA and their new coach Bob Chesney. He was brought over after leading James Madison to the College Football Playoff this past season. While the Badgers have played at the Rose Bowl many times as part of the bowl game played in Pasadena, it will be their first time facing UCLA there in the regular season since 1953. Wisconsin will return home the following weekend to start the toughest back-to-back stretch of the season with a visit from USC on Oct. 24 and then traveling to Iowa on Halloween. Several way-too-early Top 25s have the Trojans inside the top 15, while the Hawkeyes are also considered to be a potential top 25 team. Wisconsin also hasn’t won in Iowa City since 2018 and haven’t beaten Iowa anywhere since 2021. November appears to offer the Badgers a number of chances for wins, with Rutgers coming to town on Nov. 7, a trip to Maryland on Nov. 14, another trip to Purdue on Nov. 21 and hosting rival Minnesota to close out the regular season on Nov. 28. ...read more read less