Wisconsin’s schedule ranked one of the Big Ten’s easiest this season

CBSSports ranks only three Big Ten schedules as easier than Wisconsin’s this year

A random poll of college football fans nationwide would disagree on many things about the sport. One thing I predict they’d agree on: the Big Ten West is not a particularly strong division.

It’s hard to argue, as the East boasts the top three programs in the conference and has won every Big Ten Championship since the East-West model was implemented.

Well, Wisconsin and its fellow West competitors will have one final year of benefitting from the model. Starting in 2024 the conference will move to a new scheduling model with select rivalry games protected and the rest of the conference played on a rotation basis.

That leaves one final opportunity for Wisconsin, Iowa or someone else to squeak by the West and end up in Indianapolis, Indiana for the Big Ten Championship Game.

As I’ve written about extensively, that path for Wisconsin this year is the easiest it will be for a long time. While the program hosts Ohio State, it faces Indiana and Rutgers in the other two crossover contests and gets Iowa at home. Anything short of a West Division title with that slate should be considered a massive letdown.

Tom Fornelli of CBSSports agrees with the strength of Wisconsin’s schedule. In a recent ranking, he had the Badgers with the fourth-easiest slate in the conference this year:

Wisconsin is ranked just ahead of Penn State at No. 14, Maryland at No. 13 and Iowa at No. 12.

Here is what Fornelli said about the Badgers’ schedule:

All things considered, the first schedule the Badgers will play under Luke Fickell will provide plenty of opportunities. The nonconference schedule isn’t soft, but it wouldn’t be a shock to see Wisconsin go 3-0 against Buffalo, at Washington State and Georgia Southern. Also, while the Badgers get Ohio State from the East, they get Rutgers and Indiana, which is the best you could hope for in that situation. Finally, a road schedule of Wazzu, Purdue, Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota won’t be easy, but I can see the Badgers winning three of those games.