Wisconsin vs. Indiana 2025 Preview: Can the Badgers do the Unthinkable?

After pulling off an upset victory over the Washington Huskies in Week 11, the Wisconsin Badgers (3-6) will be looking to do more of the same this week as they face off against the Indiana Hoosiers (10-0). The Hoosiers are No. 2 in the country and are amidst their greatest season in program history. Can the Badgers put a dent in Indiana’s storybook season? Or will the Hoosiers roll against an undermanned Badgers team? Let’s break it all down in our 2025 Wisconsin vs. Indiana football preview.

Wisconsin Badgers vs. Indiana Hoosiers: 2025 College Football Preview

This matchup has been fairly favorable for Wisconsin with an all-time series lead of 41-20. Wisconsin has lost the two most recent matchups in 2020 and 2023. However, the Badgers won 10 in a row against the Hoosiers from 2005 to 2017.

One of the all-time great games in Wisconsin history against any team happened in 2010, an 83-20 victory over the Hoosiers in Camp Randall. Those 83 points are the second-most points ever scored by a Badger team and the second-most points scored in a Big Ten game since 1915.

Wisconsin will be looking to channel the 2010 Badgers offense on Saturday against one of the nation’s top defenses in Indiana.

Indiana Key Players

A football team is only as good as its quarterback, and boy, do the Hoosiers have a great one in Fernando Mendoza. Mendoza could very well win the Heisman and be the No. 1 player taken in the upcoming NFL draft. He has incredible pocket awareness, a great arm, sneaky athleticism, and great downfield accuracy. So far this year, he’s thrown for 2342 yards, 26 touchdowns, and only five interceptions. He’s also added 240 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.

Mendoza is sixth in the country in completion percentage at a tick over 71-percent and has plenty of weapons at his disposal in the backfield and on the outside.

Elijah Sarratt, who has 609 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns this season, is a game-time decision on Saturday. Even if Sarratt can’t go, the Hoosiers certainly have enough talent elsewhere to make up for his production.

Omar Cooper leads the team with 701 receiving yards, while adding nine touchdowns. The Hoosiers have a three-headed monster at running back in Roman Hemby, Kaelon Black, and Khobie Martin. Each back has five touchdowns on the year, with Hemby leading the group with 656 rushing yards.

The Hoosiers have one of the most well-balanced offenses in the country, and the Badgers’ defense will have a tall task in front of them on Saturday.

Defensively, Indiana’s defense is just as good or maybe even better than its offense. Louis Moore leads the team in tackles with 62 and in interceptions with five. They have a do-it-all linebacker and leader in Aiden Fisher, who’s third on the team in tackles with 56.

Tyrique Tucker leads the team with 5.5 sacks, and Jamari Sharpe has forced four fumbles this year. You could go on and on with this Hoosier defense. That includes players like Rolijah Hardy, who has 61 tackles this year, someone we haven’t even mentioned yet.

Indiana is fast and physical on both sides of the ball, and Wisconsin needs to do its best at taking it play by play. You aren’t going to beat this talented Indiana team all in one play, and they certainly aren’t going to beat themselves. The Badgers need to find small victories in every play and need to build on those plays to find success.

Wisconsin Key Players

The four biggest key players for Wisconsin on Saturday are all freshmen. Carter Smith, Gideon Ituka, Mason Posa, and Cooper Catalano all need to play lights out and have huge games.

We’ll start with quarterback Carter Smith. Smith, a true freshman, got his first collegiate action last week against Washington. The stats certainly didn’t blow anyone away, but he fought and played with so much heart and energy.

In his first game action, Smith didn’t show much passing ability. However, his legs can be a difference maker on Saturday. He rushed for 47 yards last week, and the Badgers might need to see that number creep over 100+ to have any sort of chance on Saturday. His eight passing yards against the Huskies won’t cut it this week against the Hoosiers. However, Saturday is a great opportunity for Smith to show what he is capable of.

Redshirt freshman running back Gideon Ituka has shown great promise over the past few weeks and looks like the back of the future for the Badgers. Ituka rushed for 73 yards last week against Washington. Similarly to Smith, that number needs to be over 100 after it’s all said and done on Saturday. Ituka has the speed, power, and vision to hit the century mark on Saturday. Just like the other freshman mentioned, he can continue showing what he is capable of and show what he can do over the next couple of years for the Badgers.

Defensively, it starts and ends with the true freshman linebackers in Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano. Posa and Catalano’s performances last week were some of the greatest we’ve seen in recent memory from Badger players.

Against Washington, Posa finished with 11 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. Meanwhile, Catalano finished with 19 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. The Hoosiers are going to want to establish the line of scrimmage on Saturday, so it’s critical that these two freshman can hold their own against a great Indiana offensive line.

They will need to get off blocks, and Mike Tressel will need to move Posa around just like last week. Posa’s ability to stop the run and rush the passer is key, as the Badgers will need to show different alignments and blitzes to try to confuse Indiana just as they did to Washington.

Lastly, a major key is Mason Reiger. He had his best performance as a Badger last week, finishing with four tackles and 0.5 sacks; however, his quarterback pressures were the key. Reiger tied David Bailey and Indiana’s Mikail Kamara with eight quarterback pressures last week, which was tops in the country.

The Badgers will need to fluster and try to get Mendoza off his spot. Reiger is Wisconsin’s best player at doing that. His ability to win will be key, just as it is every single week.

2025 Game Preview: How Wisconsin wins vs. Indiana in Week 12

Wisconsin is a 29.5-point underdog on Saturday with the over/under set at 44.5.

This game goes one of two ways on Saturday for the Badgers. They build on the momentum from last week and show great fight and resolve, and keep it close and have a chance to win like Penn State did. Or, they get jumped from the start and find themselves in a deep hole right away, just like the Iowa game earlier this year.

Wisconsin has the chance to do the unthinkable on Saturday. Yet for that to happen, Carter Smith will have to have an all-time great performance. His inability to throw the ball downfield last week was evident. However, if he was able to find something this week during practice, watch out.

The Badger line has been improving, and Gideon Ituka has been running hard. Wisconsin’s front seven should be just fine as they are every week. The back half for the Badgers will be tested, and Indiana certainly has the talent advantage on the outside.

Expect Indiana to come out throwing, while mixing in their run game to establish the line of scrimmage. Every team that has had the talent advantage on the outside against the Badgers has used this formula to start the game and has found success.

Mike Tressel will need to disguise blitzes and coverages, just as he did last week against Washington. At the moment, it doesn’t look like there is any rain in the forecast for Saturday, and that favors the Hoosiers. The Badgers would have a far better chance of winning in rainy conditions, where they can muck up the game and win a rock fight.

This is a big game for Luke Fickell and Wisconsin. For the first time this year, there has been some positivity surrounding this Badgers program. If Wisconsin get run out of the stadium by Indiana, that positivity and optimism will dissipate just as fast as it came about.

The Hoosiers don’t beat themselves, and won’t on Saturday. The Badgers will need to catch lightning in a bottle and need to find ways to generate some explosive plays. Going on long, methodical drives against this Hoosier defense is not a recipe for success.

If Wisconsin wants to find themselves victorious and shock the college football world on Saturday, a couple of things need to happen. Smith can’t turn the ball over. He needs to throw for over 200 yards and run for over 125 yards. Ituka needs to hit the century mark, and both Posa and Catalano need to have 10-plus tackles. Lastly, Reiger might need to have a couple key sacks that put promising Indiana drives to rest.

At 3-6, this is an important game for the Badgers as they try and build momentum for next year. This game can go one of two ways, and we will find out pretty quickly Saturday afternoon, which way this game will go.