GT: Illinois at Bucky - 11/22/25 - 6:30 - BTN

[MickeyDavis]

Smith has some potential but they need to go out and get a good QB if one can be bought.

[trwi7]

This is why I was all about Smith starting and kind of giving him some things to see if he could handle it He's shown some good things tonight. Obviously there are still some wtf moments but he's a freshman and he's shown improvement every week. If you're not going to make a bowl game you might as well play for next year and just see what you have.

Going to be a fascinating decision. He supposedly doesn’t have great arm strength. They don’t let him throw 10+ yards unless it’s a gadget play. He’s young, so they may all improve.

But it’s do-or-die for Fickell - if Smith doesn’t take another step passing it may get him fired if he chooses to ride with him.

Also, for a coach snakebitten by QB injuries, he scares me with the hits he takes.

If there's like a top QB out there and he'll come here if we throw a bunch of money at him, by all means go for it and get him. If the best we can do in the portal is like Edwards or Van Dyke or whatever, I would just stick with Smith and see how he develops.

[midranger]

This is why I was all about Smith starting and kind of giving him some things to see if he could handle it He's shown some good things tonight. Obviously there are still some wtf moments but he's a freshman and he's shown improvement every week. If you're not going to make a bowl game you might as well play for next year and just see what you have.

Going to be a fascinating decision. He supposedly doesn’t have great arm strength. They don’t let him throw 10+ yards unless it’s a gadget play. He’s young, so they may all improve.

But it’s do-or-die for Fickell - if Smith doesn’t take another step passing it may get him fired if he chooses to ride with him.

Also, for a coach snakebitten by QB injuries, he scares me with the hits he takes.

If there's like a top QB out there and he'll come here if we throw a bunch of money at him, by all means go for it and get him. If the best we can do in the portal is like Edwards or Van Dyke or whatever, I would just stick with Smith and see how he develops.

We still need some depth.

I imagine we’ll bring in two QBs this portal. 1 starter and 1 Hunter Simmons type.

[Kerb Hohl]

This is why I was all about Smith starting and kind of giving him some things to see if he could handle it He's shown some good things tonight. Obviously there are still some wtf moments but he's a freshman and he's shown improvement every week. If you're not going to make a bowl game you might as well play for next year and just see what you have.

Going to be a fascinating decision. He supposedly doesn’t have great arm strength. They don’t let him throw 10+ yards unless it’s a gadget play. He’s young, so they may all improve.

But it’s do-or-die for Fickell - if Smith doesn’t take another step passing it may get him fired if he chooses to ride with him.

Also, for a coach snakebitten by QB injuries, he scares me with the hits he takes.

If there's like a top QB out there and he'll come here if we throw a bunch of money at him, by all means go for it and get him. If the best we can do in the portal is like Edwards or Van Dyke or whatever, I would just stick with Smith and see how he develops.

Edwards and Van Dyke both threw for nearly 3000 yards. If we have this version of Smith, he’d be lucky to throw for 1800.

I agree that if they think he’s got the tools to make another step, maybe. Sure.

[Kerb Hohl]

Going to be a fascinating decision. He supposedly doesn’t have great arm strength. They don’t let him throw 10+ yards unless it’s a gadget play. He’s young, so they may all improve.

But it’s do-or-die for Fickell - if Smith doesn’t take another step passing it may get him fired if he chooses to ride with him.

Also, for a coach snakebitten by QB injuries, he scares me with the hits he takes.

If there's like a top QB out there and he'll come here if we throw a bunch of money at him, by all means go for it and get him. If the best we can do in the portal is like Edwards or Van Dyke or whatever, I would just stick with Smith and see how he develops.

We still need some depth.

I imagine we’ll bring in two QBs this portal. 1 starter and 1 Hunter Simmons type.

Do you risk losing Smith? Otherwise, yeah, slam dunk if they can bring in an Edwards sort of guy with the assumption he may lose the job at some point.

[Ryan5UW]

Smith has some potential but they need to go out and get a good QB if one can be bought.

But don’t start him at the beginning of the year. Let some other scrub go get the season ending injury out of the way first.

[ReasonablySober]

Smith's fine. Like that he's getting this experience as a true freshman. He's got to put on some weight, though.

[Kerb Hohl]

We could do what Minnesota did. Had a RS freshman that they trusted and brought in a modest veteran guy that transferred in spring when he lost the job. The issue is that we’ll have to keep some depth.

[MVP2110]

I dont think Smith has done enough to warrant the starting gig next year. Find one more year of a portal vet with Smith as the #2 guy and then go to Smith in 27 as a sophomore.

[MVP2110]

Nobody will argue that this hasnt been a down season for the Badgers, but getting two ranked wins at the end of the season is a really nice building block for next season and at a bare minimum shows Fickell has managed to keep the team from quitting on him

[midranger]

The good news is only one portal, so whoever comes in the winter is stuck with us even if they lose the starting battle

[ReginaldDwight]

Team hasn't quit somehow but its a long way from competing with the big dogs in the B10 right now.

[midranger]

Team hasn't quit somehow but its a long way from competing with the big dogs in the B10 right now.

I’m not too sure about that.

The Indiana game showed me we’re much closer than it seemed a month ago. True road game at #2 team. We outplayed them in 1st half with our third string QB, 4th string RB, down starting TE, LT, C, and RG.

Offense just couldn’t do anything and defense kind of wore our/was put in bad spots by TOs. If we had any kind of injury luck, that’s a game until the last possession.

We finally have something to hang our hat on, ie the defensive front 7. Of course, we’ll have to replace most of it this year, but that’s true for most units for most team.

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

Just amazing how so many teams are saved by their special teams yet we have lost multiple games each year due to special teams

[midranger]

Do you risk losing Smith? Otherwise, yeah, slam dunk if they can bring in an Edwards sort of guy with the assumption he may lose the job at some point.

I’m just not that worried about it. What other team has a worse QB situation giving him a 50/50 chance of starting even if a transfer is brought in?

[Kerb Hohl]

Do you risk losing Smith? Otherwise, yeah, slam dunk if they can bring in an Edwards sort of guy with the assumption he may lose the job at some point.

I’m just not that worried about it. What other team has a worse QB situation giving him a 50/50 chance of starting even if a transfer is brought in?

True…I guess a lower conference team if he really wanted to jump around a lot…but seems somewhat ride or die with Wisconsin, so probably not.

[trwi7]

Team hasn't quit somehow but its a long way from competing with the big dogs in the B10 right now.

I’m not too sure about that.

The Indiana game showed me we’re much closer than it seemed a month ago. True road game at #2 team. We outplayed them in 1st half with our third string QB, 4th string RB, down starting TE, LT, C, and RG.

Offense just couldn’t do anything and defense kind of wore our/was put in bad spots by TOs. If we had any kind of injury luck, that’s a game until the last possession.

We finally have something to hang our hat on, ie the defensive front 7. Of course, we’ll have to replace most of it this year, but that’s true for most units for most team.

I agree and I also look at the Oregon game. Our offense obviously had no chance with Simmons starting but the defense played amazing. People can blame the rain or whatever but it's not like Oregon has never played in the rain and it's not like they have a natural grass field. The only team that held them to less yards than we did was Indiana.

[DingleJerry]

Obviously another big positive, can't believe they won so easily. They've really salvaged things from what it looked like at the Iowa. Seems like they made the right choice to give it more one year and see how it goes. Get out of there with MN win and it leaves a good taste in everyone's mouth and good vibes going to offseason and the next year

Other funny thing is in our worst year in forever, everyone wants fire, tear it down, etc that if they win next they'll have only lost one more game than MN. Who keeps giving their coach fat extensions.

[BUCKnation]

5 wins and the Axe would be a wonderful finish to the season considering how conference play started.

[MickeyDavis]

Hell, a 5-7 record can still get them a bowl game and that would actually be cool. It's a longshot obviously but it could happen.