Game Preview: IU football hosts Wisconsin in home finale

Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell.

No. 2 IU football returns to Bloomington Saturday for its final home game of the regular season, playing host to the Wisconsin Badgers.

Last time out, the Hoosiers survived a Penn State upset bid with a late touchdown, beating the Nittany Lions 27-24 in Happy Valley. The Badgers earned their first conference win of the season last week, knocking off No. 24 Washington 13-10 at Camp Randall.

Indiana stayed at No. 2 in the first College Football Playoff rankings released on Tuesday.

Ahead of Saturday’s noon kick, here is Inside the Hall’s preview of the senior day showdown between the Badgers and Hoosiers.

Game information

Who: No. 2 Indiana (10-0, 7-0 in Big Ten) vs. Wisconsin (3-6, 1-5 in Big Ten)
Where: Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, Indiana
When: Saturday, November 15, 2025. 12 p.m. EST
TV: BTN, Jeff Levering (play-by-play), Jake Butt (analyst), Brooke Fletcher (sideline)
Radio: Don Fischer (Play-By-Play), Buck Suhr (Analyst)
The line: Indiana -28.5, Over/Under 44.5 (DraftKings)
SP+ prediction: Indiana 41, Wisconsin 6 (98 percent chance of an IU win)

Meet the opponent

The Luke Fickell era in Madison has gone the opposite of what was expected. Wisconsin is 9-15 in Big Ten play and 16-19 overall since arriving from Cincinnati.

Because of an early injury to Maryland transfer Billy Edwards Jr., the Badgers have used a carousel of quarterbacks this season. Four Badgers threw a pass in last week’s victory, with punter Sean West finishing with the most passing yards (24).

Wisconsin’s offense ranks 135th amongst FBS teams in points per game, scoring 12.6 points per game. Fickell has yet to decide if senior Hunter Simmons or freshman Carter Smith will start on Saturday.

As is tradition, the Badger defense is solid – the Badgers allow 22.3 points per game, holding opponents to 331 yards per game.

Indiana is 20-41-2 all-time against Wisconsin in a series that dates back to 1907. The last time the two programs met, the Hoosiers beat the Badgers 20-14 in Bloomington on November 4, 2023.

Injury Update

Curt Cignetti announced on Monday that offensive lineman Drew Evans will remain out for “a few weeks”.

Elijah Sarratt remains day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

The required Big Ten availability report will be released two hours before kickoff, at 10:00 a.m. EST on Saturday.

Storylines

Can Charlie Becker build off last week?

With standout wide receiver Elijah Sarratt out last week, Indiana was in dire need of a receiver to step up in his place. Charlie Becker did everything and more for the Hoosiers in Happy Valley.

The sophomore hauled in seven catches for 118 yards, both career highs, doubling his season catch total in one afternoon. Becker delivered exactly what Indiana’s offense needed in a tight game, making two highlight-reel catches during the second half.

This week will test how Becker responds to his breakout performance, especially with Sarratt’s availability remaining uncertain.

With a wide-open receiver room next season, the remaining games allow Becker and freshman LeBron Bond opportunities to flourish and potentially earn starting spots next season.

Indiana celebrates senior day at Memorial Stadium

There have been hundreds of players who have gone through senior day festivities at Indiana. None is more important than the group that will be honored pregame on Saturday.

Guys like Aidan Fisher, Mikail Kamara and Elijah Sarratt did not play all of their college football at Indiana, but they completely changed the program in their two seasons.

Louis Moore and Khalil Benson, who started their careers at Indiana, transferred out and later returned, played key roles.

All of the seniors were instrumental figures in one of college football’s most remarkable turnarounds. Unless the Hoosiers host a first-round College Football Playoff game, it will be their last game at Memorial Stadium. The ceremonies will take place on the field ahead of the game, beginning at 11:30 a.m.

Outlook

Fifteen years ago, Wisconsin football embarrassed Indiana with an 83-20 beatdown in Madison. Few fans have forgotten then-head coach Bret Bielema running up the score on an IU team that won a single conference game that year.

If the Illinois game did not fully exorcise those demons, this week might.

Cignetti has this team’s full attention and it is evident that the program is full steam ahead towards its first undefeated regular season.

Wisconsin is on a high from the Washington win, but a non-existent pass game won’t work against Indiana’s defense. This game may be close for a possession or two, but Indiana will push away fairly early.

A lopsided score will allow Cignetti to play some of the senior reserves while the Hoosiers cruise to another undefeated season at home.

(Photo credit: Wisconsin Athletics)

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