The Jump Around

Wisconsin football is riding its first four-game winning streak of the Luke Fickell era. Can the Badgers keep it going?

Coming off a dominant 31–3 win over Michigan State, Wisconsin enters the heart of its Big Ten schedule with plenty of momentum. On this episode of The Jump Around, we recap the Badgers' latest win and discuss what Wisconsin needs to continue building on as the second half of the season approaches.

On this episode:

🏈 Building on the Bye Week

What did Wisconsin's 31–3 win over Michigan State tell us?

The Badgers' first four-game winning streak of the Luke Fickell era

What has improved for Wisconsin?

What still needs to improve?

Can the Badgers carry their momentum into the heart of the Big Ten schedule?

🔥 Week 6 Superlatives

Who is most likely to earn First-Team All-Big Ten honors?

Who has been Wisconsin's most important player?

Who is the biggest stock riser heading into the second half?

Who is the most surprising team in the Big Ten?

Who is most likely to win the national championship?

🏀 Greg Gard & Wisconsin Basketball

Greg Gard discusses Wisconsin being picked 11th in the Big Ten preseason poll

How difficult is it to rank teams after so much roster turnover?

Riley shares his thoughts after attending media day

🏈 Rob Havenstein Joins The Jump Around

The former Wisconsin All-American and Super Bowl champion joins the show

His thoughts on the 2026 Badgers

How does he feel about Wisconsin's offensive line?

Does he trust the Badgers' offense to keep building momentum?

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Wisconsin football is starting to feel different. Are Badgers fans ready to jump back in?

Jim Rutledge and Riley Jauch discuss the excitement surrounding Wisconsin football after its recent run of success and whether the Badgers are entering a new era of Wisconsin football.

Riley believes now is the time for Wisconsin fans to jump back in, especially with the Badgers showing they have what it takes to compete and with massive opportunities against UCLA and USC still ahead. He also wants Camp Randall packed when USC comes to Madison in what could be a ranked matchup.

The guys also look ahead to what's next for Wisconsin, including the bye week, getting healthy, improving the running game and giving young players more opportunities.

In this segment:

🦡 Is Wisconsin football entering a new era?

🔥 Why Riley thinks Badgers fans should jump back in

🏟️ Why Wisconsin needs Camp Randall packed for USC

📈 What the Badgers need to improve during the bye week

🏃 Why fixing the running game remains a priority

💪 Getting healthy before the next stretch of the season

🌟 Why the guys are more excited about Wisconsin football than they have been in a long time

🏆 Can the Badgers continue building toward the “glory days”?

The Badgers have already changed the conversation. Now comes the chance to prove this is more than just a hot streak.

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Wisconsin shocked No. 13 Penn State 24–20 in Happy Valley. But was it just a moment—or the beginning of a movement?

On this episode of The Jump Around, Jim Rutledge, Riley Jauch, and Matt Lepay react to Wisconsin's massive upset at Penn State and debate whether the Badgers have finally taken a meaningful step forward under Luke Fickell.

The Badgers are now 3–1, and the energy around the program is higher than it has been during the Fickell era. But can Wisconsin build on the Penn State win, or will it ultimately become the peak moment of the 2026 season?

On this episode:

🏈 Moment or Movement?

Was the Penn State win a true turning point?

Did Wisconsin take a legitimate step forward?

Can the Badgers sustain the momentum from Happy Valley?

Is Penn State the beginning of something bigger—or the peak of the season?

🎙️ Matt Lepay Returns

The Wisconsin Hall of Famer and voice of the Badgers returns

His biggest takeaways from the first month of the season

What happened during Wisconsin's 24–20 win at Penn State

What does Wisconsin need to accomplish in October?

🔥 Jack Cichy Joins The Jump Around

What "3-Sack Jack" has been up to

His thoughts on the 2026 Badgers

Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano: Is Wisconsin's next great linebacker duo already here?

What Cichy sees from the current Wisconsin defense

🏆 Week 5 Superlatives

Who will force multiple turnovers against Michigan State?

Who is most likely to help Wisconsin clinch a shutout?

Who will have a "3-Sack Jack" type of performance?

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Wisconsin football just pulled off one of the biggest wins of the Luke Fickell era. But was the 24-20 comeback over Penn State a turning point — or just a great Saturday?

Jim Rutledge and Riley Jauch react to Wisconsin's incredible comeback against Penn State and break down what the win means for the Badgers moving forward.

Wisconsin trailed by 10 with just over eight minutes remaining before scoring 14 points in the final 3:30 to steal the victory. Colton Joseph struggled for much of the afternoon before catching fire late, while the defense continued to give Wisconsin a chance and the Badgers found a way to win a game that appeared to be over.

But now comes the bigger question: Was Penn State a moment, or is this actually a change in Wisconsin football?

Jim and Riley debate what the Badgers need to prove against Michigan State, why the standard has changed after beating Penn State, and whether Wisconsin can finally learn how to handle success after years of struggling to find it.

In this segment:

🦡 Wisconsin's stunning comeback over Penn State

🔥 Colton Joseph's wild fourth-quarter performance

💪 Darian Dupree's breakout performance

🛡️ Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano continuing to lead the defense

🏈 Why Wisconsin's offensive line deserves major credit

🤔 Was Penn State a moment or a marker of change?

📈 Why the Badgers' standard has changed

🎢 The highs and lows of the Colton Joseph experience

🏃 Why Wisconsin's running game could still determine the team's ceiling

🔥 Can the Badgers handle success against Michigan State?

The Penn State win proved Wisconsin can beat a high-quality opponent. Now the Badgers have to prove they can do it week after week.

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Wisconsin football finally enters Big Ten play. Can the Badgers pass their biggest test yet at Penn State?

The non-conference schedule is over, and Wisconsin heads to Happy Valley for its first Big Ten game of the 2026 season. On this episode of The Jump Around, Jim Rutledge and Riley Jauch debate how important this game really is and whether the result could change the way we view the Badgers for the rest of the season.

On this episode:

🏈 Wisconsin vs. Penn State

How important is Wisconsin's first Big Ten game?

Is this a must-win for the Badgers?

Will the result determine how Wisconsin is viewed for the rest of the season?

How does Wisconsin compare with Penn State in the NIL era?

🔥 Can Wisconsin's Offense Keep Up?

Wisconsin's surprising wide receiver production

Malachi Coleman and Tyrell Henry emerging as big performers

Can the Badgers' passing game survive against Penn State?

Will Wisconsin finally get its running game going?

Is the lack of rushing holding the offense back?

🏆 Week 4 Superlatives

Who is most likely to break a record?

Who will get the first pick-six?

Who is most likely to gain 100 total yards?

🎙️ Matt Bernstein Returns

Former Wisconsin fullback Matt Bernstein joins The Jump Around to look back at his incredible 2004 performance against Penn State, when he rushed for 123 yards on 27 carries in Wisconsin's 16-3 victory.

📺 Plus:

The debut of The Jump Around Extra: Roommates Edition with Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano

Twitter Portal featuring the latest Wisconsin and college athletics conversations

Subscribe for Wisconsin Badgers football, Penn State coverage, Big Ten football, game previews, interviews, recruiting, and more from The Jump Around on ESPN Madison and ESPN Milwaukee.

Wisconsin Badgers linebackers Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano join Riley Jauch for the debut episode of The Jump Around: Roommates Edition, going inside Badgers football, their life as roommates and everything that happens away from Camp Randall.

Fresh off Wisconsin’s 54-10 win over Eastern Michigan, Posa breaks down his first career interception while Catalano takes us inside his 10-yard scoop-and-score touchdown. The roommates explain how they've grown as linebackers, what they’ve learned from the Wisconsin coaching staff and how they're preparing for Big Ten play at Penn State.

But Roommates Edition goes well beyond football. Mason and Cooper reveal their apartment arguments, golf obsession, Wii golf “Masters,” prank wars, locker-room trash talk, who’s easiest to mess with on the Badgers and why Mason thinks he could beat Luke Fickell in a wrestling match. Plus, they debate Jordan Love vs. Bo Nix and share what life inside the Wisconsin football locker room is actually like.

CHAPTERS

0:00 Welcome to Roommates Edition

0:28 Posa’s INT vs. Catalano’s scoop-and-score

5:14 How Posa & Catalano have grown as linebackers

11:14 Could Mason Posa beat Luke Fickell in wrestling?

14:57 Badgers golf stories & roommate competitions

21:05 What Posa & Catalano are REALLY like as roommates

37:05 Wisconsin’s defense & preparing for Penn State

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Was this the Wisconsin football team we've been waiting to see?

Jim Rutledge and Riley Jauch react to the Badgers' 54-10 win over Eastern Michigan, a game that finally gave Wisconsin fans a glimpse of what this team can be.

After a shaky opening quarter, Wisconsin exploded offensively and dominated the rest of the game. Colton Joseph bounced back from an early interception to throw for a huge afternoon, while Tyrell Henry set a Wisconsin single-game record with 14 receptions for 160 yards.

The defense also turned the game around with a flurry of takeaways, including interceptions from Mason Posa and Matt Jung and a fumble recovery touchdown from Cooper Catalano. For the first time this season, Jim and Riley saw the version of the Badgers they've been talking about all offseason.

But does a 54-10 win over Eastern Michigan prove Wisconsin is ready for No. 13 Penn State? Not necessarily. The guys discuss what the victory actually tells us about the Badgers — and why the next game will be the real test.

In this Jump Around Extra:

🦡 What Wisconsin finally showed against Eastern Michigan

💥 Colton Joseph's massive bounce-back performance

🔥 Tyrell Henry's record-setting game

🛡️ Mason Posa, Cooper Catalano and the Badgers' opportunistic defense

🏈 Why the response after a terrible first quarter may matter more than the final score

⚠️ The one major concern: Wisconsin's running game

📈 Why the Badgers now have a “proof of concept”

🏟️ What the Eastern Michigan win means heading into Penn State

The Eastern Michigan game didn't prove that Wisconsin is a good team. But it did prove the Badgers can be a good team.

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Wisconsin football is reportedly spending around $27–31 million on its roster. So what should Badgers fans expect in return?

On this episode of The Jump Around, Jim Rutledge and Riley Jauch break down Wisconsin's place among the Power 4 in roster spending and ask what that investment should mean for the Badgers' 2026 season.

We also welcome former Wisconsin safety Collin Wilder back to the show to discuss the Badgers' start to the season, what gives him hope that this team can be better than outside expectations suggest, and what he's looking for from Wisconsin ahead of the Eastern Michigan game.

On this episode:

🏈 Collin Wilder Returns

His thoughts on Wisconsin's start to the 2026 season

Why he believes the Badgers could be better than many expect

What gives him hope about this Wisconsin team

What he wants to see from Wisconsin against Eastern Michigan

💰 Wisconsin's $30M Roster

The Athletic's college football roster-spending data

Wisconsin's estimated $27–31 million roster

Which Big Ten teams spend the same or less than Wisconsin

UCLA, Maryland, Michigan State, Rutgers, Minnesota, Iowa and Purdue

Are these games Wisconsin NEEDS to win?

What would the results in those games tell us about the Badgers?

🔥 Week 3 Superlatives

Which Wisconsin player will make a SportsCenter Top 10 play?

Which defensive player will have a "3-sack Jack" moment?

Which receiver will post a "Randy Moss" stat line?

Subscribe to The Jump Around for Wisconsin Badgers football, Wisconsin basketball, recruiting, Big Ten coverage, college football analysis, interviews and more from ESPN Madison and ESPN Milwaukee.

Wisconsin football is 1-1, but The Jump Around crew has some serious questions after the Badgers' uneven performance against Western Illinois.

The defense and special teams deserve plenty of credit, but the biggest concerns are on offense — particularly Colton Joseph, the running game and Wisconsin's ability to find consistency. Jim Rutledge and Riley Jauch discuss Joseph's accuracy, his ability to stay healthy while using his legs and why his performance could ultimately define Wisconsin's ceiling this season.

But the bigger conversation is about Luke Fickell and Wisconsin's identity.

Fickell described the Badgers as “arrogant and delusional” when explaining why the team struggled to maintain its early momentum against Western Illinois. The Jump Around crew breaks down what Fickell meant — and whether his mentality and coaching philosophy are actually the right fit for Wisconsin.

They also debate what Wisconsin's identity has historically been, whether the Badgers need more of an underdog mentality and whether Fickell's approach can work in Madison.

Plus, a closer look at Abu Sama, the Wisconsin running back room, the defense, special teams and what the Badgers need to show against Eastern Michigan.

Montee Ball joins The Jump Around to discuss Wisconsin football following the Badgers’ loss to Notre Dame, his thoughts on the 2026 team, areas that need improvement, and which Wisconsin running back he’s most excited to watch.

We’ll also welcome former Wisconsin and Western Illinois running back Aaron Stecker ahead of Saturday’s matchup. Stecker shares his experience playing for both programs and discusses the upcoming game.

Plus, Jim Rutledge and Riley Jauch reacts to Barry Alvarez’s comments on the Notre Dame loss, play a Wisconsin football superlatives game ahead of Western Illinois, and bring you the latest Wisconsin sports conversation from the Twitter Portal.

In this episode:

🏈 Montee Ball reacts to Wisconsin’s loss to Notre Dame

🏈 What Ball likes about the 2026 Wisconsin Badgers

🏈 Which Wisconsin running back could break out

🏈 Aaron Stecker previews Wisconsin vs. Western Illinois

🏈 Stecker’s experience playing for Wisconsin and Western Illinois

🏈 Reaction to Barry Alvarez’s comments

🏈 Superlatives vs. Western Illinois

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