After a disappointing 5-7 season, the Badgers failed to qualify for a bowl game for the first time in 22 years. However, after Marshall opted out of the Independence Bowl game against Army, it was widely believed a 5-7 program could take their place. Wisconsin seemed like a perfect fit, but ultimately there was never a real chance the Badgers would fill in.
According to Colton Bartholomew of BadgerExtra, Luke Fickell and the Badgers told the Big Ten they would not be interested in filling in as a bowl replacement before the Army game even became available. On the surface that seems surprising, considering Fickell had initially said they would accept any bowl invite. But in the end, it simply came down to a logistical problem.
With the transfer portal opening up right after the regular season, many Badger players were quick to enter their name. By the time the Independence Bowl became available, almost two dozen players had left for the portal. On top of the portal loses, many other players had already gone home for winter break, and trying to get a team put back together in time would have been near impossible.
Had Wisconsin been able to field a full team, they almost certainly would have accepted an invite. Louisiana Tech ended up becoming the replacement for Marshall and will face Army on December 28th. With the new rules around transfers and the limited time between semesters, this issue will almost certainly come up again in the future unfortunately.