Wisconsin Ranks Near the Bottom of the Big Ten in Almost Every Major Statistic

Through three games, Wisconsin has failed the eye test. Well as it turns out, they fail the statistical test too. Spoiler alert: the Badgers rank in the bottom of the Big Ten in almost every major statistic. That's not entirely surprising considering how generally poor they've played, but it's concerning considering the second year of the Luke Fickell era was supposed to be better.

The Badgers have lacked an identity all season and it shows. They aren't really great at, well, anything. So where do the Badgers actually rank in the new Big Ten of 18 teams for major statistics?

Points Per Game: 16th

After seeing Western Michigan and FCS school South Dakota on the schedule, you probably assumed the Badgers would ease into 2024 with some easy wins. That wasn't the case, and they followed it up with a poor performance against Alabama, leaving the Badgers at 16th out of 18 teams in scoring at 21.7 points per game.

Opponent Points Per Game: 16th

The Badger defense hasn't looked much better than the anemic offense. The Badgers once again rank 16th, allowing 23.0 points per game. Things won't get easier in the next game against a high-octane USC offense.

Total Yards Per Game: 15th

The Badgers aren't scoring, and a big problem is that they can't move the ball. The offense has lacked big plays and any sort of explosiveness, leaving them ranked at 15th in yards per game with 354.

Pass Yards Per Game: 16th

The injury to Tyler Van Dyke against Alabama hurts, but the pass game wasn't exactly electrifying before that. The Badgers rank 16th in passing yards per game with a mere 182.3 yards. They also have the fewest passing touchdowns among all Big Ten teams who have played three games so far.

Rush Yards Per Game: 7th

In the Badgers first top ten ranking, they place seventh in rush yards per game with 172. The Badger run game has actually be solid (other than the fumbles), and the three-headed monster of Chez Mellusi, Tawee Walker and Cade Yacamelli will have to carry this offense moving forward.

Forced Turnovers: 17th

Defensively, Wisconsin just hasn't been able to force turnovers. They rank second to last with one single interception and the only program worse, Purdue, has only played two games. It's a glaring problem for the defense.

Sacks: T-10th

The Badgers also haven't been able to generate much pressure. They are tied for tenth with six sacks on the year. It was a problem in 2023, so Fickell and company brought in some edge transfers to inject some life into the Badger pass rush, but it just hasn't come to fruition yet.

Penalties Per Game: 2nd

Hooray! The Badgers are the second best team in the conference when it comes to penalties. The team has committed 3.7 fouls per game, behind only Iowa.