The Colton Joseph era in Madison may already be over just two months in.

Wisconsin is expected to start Ryan Hopkins at gunslinger in Week 10 against Rutgers. While Joseph is reportedly banged up, he hasn't been on the Badgers' injury report all week and he's also expected to dress and be ready if needed — this is a benching if I've ever seen one.

Here's what Wisconsin turning to the true freshman Hopkins with four games left in 2026 means for Badger football, immediately and down the line:

Wisconsin knows it can get more out of its offense

The Badgers already know what Joseph gives them at this point. Against high-level defenses like Iowa and UCLA, Wisconsin hasn't been able to move the ball through the air whatsoever. It doesn't matter that Joseph can shred Michigan State or Western Illinois; this passing game becomes completely untenable against quality opponents.

Can Hopkins give the Badgers more through the air? That's what this coaching staff needs to find out, and quickly.

Badgers misfired with Joseph

I remember when head coach Luke Fickell was asked how he and his staff figures out what translates when evaluating a former G6 player like Joseph.

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“Winning translates," he said during spring practice. "It doesn’t matter what level it is, winning is winning…All those things that you thought you saw, we saw, those last couple years watching him play, it’s held true.”

We can now safely chalk up Joseph as yet another poor evaluation by Fickell and this staff. He was very open about how the quarterback was their "1A" plan/target this offseason. Now that he's been benched eight games into the year, the decision to go all-in on Joseph reflects very poorly on this staff. They haven't given us any real reason to believe they can get the quarterback position right through four years.

Hopkins has a great chance to show what he can do

The next three games should offer a great glimpse into what Hopkins can give this team. The Badgers will face the 123rd, 81st and 124th-ranked total defense consecutively in the form of Rutgers, Maryland and Purdue.

The fact that Wisconsin gives Hopkins (assuming he remains the starter) the whole month of November is also telling. To me, it indicates that Fickell knows how critical the Minnesota game is for his job. He knows he's going to need competent quarterback play to win that game, and he also knows his best shot to get it is to let Hopkins develop against three bad defenses before he has to face the Gophers.

Hopkins is this staff's last hope

Is this the last hope for the Luke Fickell era in Madison?

If the true freshman tears it up in November, there will be some hope for this offense moving forward. There will also be some hope that this staff isn't completely incompetent when it comes to evaluating quarterbacks. The Joseph experiment failing is another bad look for Fickell and company, but if Hopkins looks like the answer, Fickell will have that to fall back on.

If Hopkins gives Wisconsin more of the same, or if he simply isn't a tangible upgrade at quarterback, there will be no reason to believe this staff can get the quarterback position right.