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3 biggest winners and 2 losers from Wisconsin dominating Michigan State at home

The Badgers are now 4-1 on the year after taking care of business.
ByBraulio Perez
Oct 3, 2026; Madison, Wisconsin, USA;  Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Colton Joseph (1) rushes with the football during the first quarter against the Michigan State Spartans at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
Oct 3, 2026; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Colton Joseph (1) rushes with the football during the first quarter against the Michigan State Spartans at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The doubters who thought Wisconsin and Luke Fickell were going to come back down to earth after the upset over Penn State... nothing to say, huh? In dominant fashion, the Badgers just made Homecoming Weekend even better for everyone in Madison, clobbering Michigan State 31-3 at Camp Randall Stadium.

Straight up, the Badgers dominated the game, using a 17-3 halftime lead to set the tone, with the performance only getting better in the second half. We've got our winners and losers for you in this piece, of course starting with Wisconsin QB Colton Joseph, who had himself a day to remember.

Wisconsin QB Colton Joseph (winner) answered the call for Luke Fickell

After the win over Penn State, Fickell didn't hesitate to say that Joseph needed to pick it up from a consistency standpoint. That message was clearly taken to heart by his starting signal-caller, as Joseph cleaned up quite a bit against the Spartans.

While his passing numbers were inflated by his three TDs thrown (Joseph completed 9-of-20 passes for 145 yards), Wisconsin OC Jeff Grimes put the transfer QB in a beautiful spot to showcase his wheels. On the afternoon, Joseph rushed for 141 yards and a touchdown. Four total scores were great to see, and exactly what Fickell wanted out of his QB.

A new nickname has arrived for Wisconsin tight end Jacob Harris (winner)

Give him the Heisman! Okay, we'll pump the brakes there, but Jacob 'Highlight Harris' is here to stay. Harris won over hearts when he posted the game-winner against Penn State, and then he followed that up with two more scores against the Spartans.

As you can see in the video above, his first one was out of this world, as he somehow kept focus on the ball to reel it in after it momentarily looked like Joseph's throw was going to get picked off. Harris, a 6-6 pass-catcher, is stepping up for the Badgers at the right time.

Alessio Milivojevic (loser) couldn't handle the pressure from the Wisconsin defense

When Michigan State quarterback Alessio Milivojevic announced he was going to stick around with the Spartans and not transfer, it was a major win for new head coach Pat Fitzgerald. However, Milivojevic has been way too up and down this year, as was showcased against the Badgers.

Actually, there wasn't much positive Milivojevic put together in the lopsided loss for the visiting team. For the majority of the game, the Michigan State offense was below average, with Wisconsin's toughness not being matched by the Spartans, particularly up front. Milivojevic looked nothing like a Big Ten starter in the loss, throwing for 103 yards on 15 completions.

The Luke Fickell haters (losers) once again have nothing to say

Oh, how quickly life can change. After the loss to Notre Dame to open the season, it felt like Fickell was on borrowed time again. However, the Badgers have now won four straight games, needing just two more to become bowl-eligible. You've got to give Fickell props for this turnaround.

With the way Wisconsin football has gone in the past, too, it would have been oh so fitting if Wisconsin had lost this game against MSU after the shocker against the Nittany Lions. That didn't happen, though, with the Badgers 100 percent being the better football team. Fickell's seat has cooled down quite a bit, and he's got people fired up about the state of the program.

Wisconsin OC Jeff Grimes (winner) called a fantastic game for the Badgers

Just like Fickell, Grimes has received plenty of criticism, and rightfully so. Against the Spartans, as the kids say, Grimes was in his bag. Joseph is not known as a great passer, but the ground game is where the offense took off in Week 5.

Joseph was clearly given the green light to take off and run, with some designed plays leading the way for him to do that. Joseph throwing for 145 yards looks bad on paper, but with his 141 hashes on the ground (nearly a new UW record), along with Darrion Dupree also seeing a ton of work with his 19 carries for 61 yards, it was the right recipe for Wisconsin's offense to shine, which it did in a big way.

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