The team was thin and lost its best player. Obviously, one could say the team is thin because the staff didn't recruit well enough the last few years. That's probably a somewhat fair statement. The next 3 recruiting classes are looking very good, however, so the lapse should be temporary. Also, with the portal things can change FAST.
If the team wins enough with whenever Wahl comes back then this losing stretch will likely be forgiven. If not, UW could be sweating on Selection Sunday. Gard has earned a lot of leash though. B1G titles and COY awards don't happen with smoke and mirrors.