Wisconsin vs. Washington 2025 Preview: Can the Badgers End Their Losing Streak?

After a much-needed bye week, the Wisconsin Badgers (2-6) return to the field to take on the Washington Huskies (6-2) in Week 11. The Huskies are yet another ranked team and another opponent on the Badgers’ schedule that still has so much to play for. Can Wisconsin keep it close at home and end its six-game losing streak? Or do the Huskies, with everything still to play for, leave Madison with a victory? Let’s break it all down in our Wisconsin vs. Washington 2025 preview.

Wisconsin Badgers vs. Washington Huskies: 2025 College Football Preview

Series History

With Washington’s recent addition to the Big Ten back in 2024, these two programs have only met four times, with each meeting happening before 1993. Washington leads the all-time series 4-0, with their biggest margin of victory coming back in 1959 in Pasadena, 44-8.

The Huskies have outscored the Badgers 92-35 in the four meetings, with the Badgers never scoring more than 17 points in any of the previous games. With the Huskies moving to the Big Ten, this matchup will become much more of a common occurrence, with the next meeting scheduled for 2028.

Washington Key Players

The Huskies sport one of the better offenses in the Big Ten, averaging 35.5 PPG and 438.6 YDS/G, and have one of the best trios of offensive players in the country. We’ll start with one of the more underrated quarterbacks in the country in Demond Williams Jr. Through eight games, Williams has thrown for 2,117 yards, 14 touchdowns, and has also added 429 yards on the ground.

If there is one drawback to Williams’ game, it’s his height. Listed at 5-foot-11, he struggles to see the defense at times and struggles with pressure in his face. However, if given a clean pocket, it’s wraps for the opposing defense.

As it is every week, Wisconsin’s ability to rush the passer will be critical, because if they can’t get Williams off his spot, it’ll turn into a long afternoon for the Badgers.

Then there’s Jonah Coleman, the second player in this dynamic trio for the Huskies. Coleman has 643 yards on the ground this year, good for 13 touchdowns. He’s strong, fast, and agile. Coleman can do it all at the running back position, and is averaging 5.1 yards per carry. His 13 touchdowns rank first in the Big Ten, and he is also in the top-half of the conference in every other major running back stat.

Rounding out the trio is a big body receiver in Denzel Boston. Boston has caught 44 passes for 668 yards and seven touchdowns on the season. He’s very likely to be a first-round pick in the upcoming draft. And, in the words of Mel Kiper, Boston has “Velcro-Esque hands”. Anything thrown in Boston’s direction will be hauled in, and he’s an absolute matchup nightmare match at 6-foot-4. He has the size and strength to bully corners, but also has the speed to run past them.

Defensively, Alex McLaughlin leads the team in tackles with 62. He also has two interceptions, with one being returned for a touchdown. McLaughlin is the leader for the Huskies on defense and especially in the secondary. He’s everywhere and needs to be identified before every play if you’re a Badger player.

Washington also has two of the better corners in the country in Ephesians Prysock and Tacario Davis. Both can be lockdown and have extreme size and length, both being listed at 6-foot-4. A Badger passing attack that already struggles will have their work cut out for them on Saturday.

The Huskies’ weakness on defense is their pass rush, as they only have 13 total sacks all year as a team. Compare that to the Badgers’ 16, who have also struggled mightily this year to create pressure.

Wisconsin Key Players

Wisconsin has had question marks at the quarterback position since Week 2, and this week, maybe more than ever. The only quarterback on the Badgers roster that we can rule out is Billy Edwards Jr. However, other than Edwards, we could honestly see play from Hunter Simmons, Danny O’Neil, and four-star true freshman Carter Smith.

Hunter Simmons was still listed No. 1 on the depth chart earlier this week, with O’Neil listed at No. 2. However, there have been some rumors that O’Neil gets the start on Saturday, and that freshman Carter Smith trots out there as well at some point. Saturday would be the perfect time to unleash Smith, especially since he can play the rest of the season and won’t have to worry about burning his redshirt. With ESPN’s Pete Thamel reporting on Thursday that Luke Fickell will be returning next season, it makes even more sense to put Smith out there so Fickell and the coaches can evaluate what Smith might look like as the quarterback of the future.

The poor quarterback play and overall offensive play this year have been quite chronicled, and whoever finds themselves under center at any given time needs to play with confidence.

Two weeks ago against Oregon in the rain, Gideon Ituka had a breakout performance. He’s got plenty of raw potential, and the offense played better than usual with him at running back. With Dilin Jones out for the year and Darrion Dupree and Cade Yacamelli nursing injuries, expect Ituka to take control of the game carries-wise on Saturday.

If Ituka can run like he did against Oregon, it will be a major boost and take some of the load off the quarterback position.

Defensively, we always talk about the core four every week in Christian Alliegro, Tackett Curtis, Sebastian Cheeks, and Mason Reiger. However, three of those players aren’t key defensive players this week for the Badgers. With Alliegro breaking his arm and Curtis being benched, freshman linebackers Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano have entered the fold.

Both backers got their first real chance two weeks ago against Oregon and didn’t disappoint. They played like seniors and held their own against a very good Oregon team. They are the two most important players on this Badgers defense this week, especially against a great running back in Jonah Coleman.

Mason Reiger will continue to be a key player as long as he is healthy. He’s easily the Badgers’ best pure pass rusher and has a relentless motor. It’s key for him to get after Demond Williams Jr. on Saturday. If Reiger can get home and move Williams off his spot, the Badgers could find some success defensively.

2025 Game Preview: How Wisconsin wins vs. Washington in Week 11

The Badgers find themselves as underdogs yet again this year, with the spread at -11.5 in favor of the Huskies. The O/U is set at 44.5, which is one of the lowest of the week.

Saturday is an interesting game for the Badgers. They are losers of six straight, are coming off a bye week, but looked decent against a top-10 Oregon team two weeks ago. So, what kind of Wisconsin team do we see on Saturday? An uninspired one, or one that plays with extreme effort and passion, similar to what we saw against Oregon? Expect the latter.

Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano have ignited something within this team. Meanwhile, Gideon Ituka adds a punch at the running back position we haven’t seen this year. The offensive line played better against Oregon, and can certainly play at a higher level this week against a weaker Washington front.

The Wisconsin defense should be just fine, even though Washington has extreme talent. As long as they can keep everything in front of them, and Mason Reiger and Sebastian Cheeks can create pressure, the defense should keep them in it.

Denzel Boston will be a matchup nightmare, but forcing Wisconsin to go the length of the field will be key. Posa and Catalano can’t miss many, if any, tackles against Jonah Coleman, and there certainly can’t be any blown coverages.

The Badgers need to win the field position game and need to sustain some drives. Washington’s defense ranks almost dead last in the FBS in quality drive percentage. A quality drive is defined by letting your opponent get a first down inside your own territory or giving up a “big play” touchdown.

Metrics aside, Washington usually lets opponents drive into the plus side of the field; the Badgers must capitalize on those occurrences. Whether it’s Simmons, O’Neil, or Smith who finds themselves at quarterback or whether it’s a rotation, there needs to be some consistency from the quarterback position.

Washington doesn’t sport any world-beaters on the defensive line, so if the Badger can do their job, there should be a relatively clean pocket for most of the game. Lance Mason and Vinny Anthony need to find ways to generate some separation and get open.

The Badgers are coming off a bye week, so there is no reason for them not to be prepared. It will be interesting to see how hard this team plays, with the report of Fickell returning for next season. They played hard for him against Oregon. Does that fight go away now because they know he’s returning? Or, do they build on the Oregon game and have an upward trajectory to finish the season and onto next year?

Only time will tell, but expect this Wisconsin team to fight again; and, for offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes to have some tricks up his sleeve on Saturday. While it’d be foolhardy to expect the Badgers to win, they should hang around for a bit and show some real competitive spirit.