Wisconsin Badgers fans, take note: your new starting quarterback has officially been placed on the national map. Colton Joseph, the dynamic transfer from Old Dominion, has been ranked as the No. 33 Power Four starting quarterback for the 2026 season by CBS Sports.

This ranking slots Joseph squarely in the middle of the pack among 68 projected starters, but the Big Ten landscape tells a more competitive story. He enters as the conference's 10th-ranked signal-caller, looking up at a who's who of elite talent including Oregon's Dante Moore (No. 1) and Ohio State's Julian Sayin (No. 2). For a program eager to climb the Big Ten standings, Joseph's performance will be the key catalyst.

The expectations are high for a reason. Joseph arrives in Madison fresh off a spectacular 2025 season where he showcased true dual-threat ability, amassing over 2,600 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, and a game-breaking 1,007 rushing yards with 13 scores on the ground. His skill set promises to inject a new level of excitement into the Badgers' offense.

The stakes couldn't be clearer. As CBS analyst Brad Crawford pointed out, head coach Luke Fickell's future in Madison is directly tied to immediate improvement, and Colton Joseph is the central figure in that equation. All eyes will be on the season opener against Notre Dame, a massive early test that will give the Badger faithful their first real glimpse of the Joseph era and the team's potential trajectory.