Danny O'Neil is doing something the QB2 hasn't done at Wisconsin in years

The Wisconsin Badgers under Luke Fickell don't exactly have a great track record with backup quarterbacks coming in to save the season. In fact, you could argue the exact opposite happens every year: the backup comes in and ruins the season. Danny O'Neil, though, is already doing something that the QB2 at Wisconsin hasn't done in years: providing hope.

In fact, we ran a social media poll on X and asked: Be honest, who do you want to see this week, an 80% healthy Billy Edwards Jr. or a 100% healthy Danny O'Neil? The results are startling, considering how Wisconsin fans usually feel about QB2, O'Neil is receiving almost 80% of the votes.

Wisconsin fans are finally feeling like the Badgers have a competent QB2

Related: Luke Fickell reveals another high-quality Danny O'Neil trait we didn't know about

Sure, some of this could truly be because Wisconsin fans see Alabama as a lost cause, and they'd rather have Billy Edwards Jr. fully healthy by the Maryland game. However, the point remains, there's much more confidence in QB2 than there was in any of the past couple of seasons.

It helps that Danny O'Neil was absolutely electric in his first full start of the season. He went 23-27 with 283 yards and three touchdowns. Those 283 yards put him as a Wisconsin record holder as the most passing yards by a quarterback in their first Wisconsin start.

Alabama is a big mountain to climb, and there may not be a whole lot of hope there either way. Vegas now has the line at 20.5 points underdogs for the Badgers. Many of the national pundits have already stuck a fork in Wisconsin. Yet, somehow, there's still a bit of lingering hope in the optimistic side of the fanbase that Danny O'Neil has a little magic in his fingertips. That maybe there's a shock in the QB2 for the Crimson Tide.

Regardless of what happens on Saturday, O'Neil has done something the QB2 at Wisconsin hasn't done in years, and that's provide hope.