The Wisconsin football program has amassed 15 wins against ranked teams since the inception of the College Football Playoff in 2014.
That mark is good for No. 19 overall, tied with both Stanford and Texas. The Badgers’ total sits far behind leaders Alabama (54 wins), Georgia (37 wins), Ohio State (36 wins) and Clemson (31 wins).
While the Badgers have only finished in the top 25 of the final College Football Playoff rankings on four occasions, UW has secured a handful of signature wins over the past decade.
In 2014, UW thumped No. 11 Nebraska 59-24 and dismantled No. 24 Minnesota 34-24. Both games were in November and significantly elevated the Badgers in AP Poll standings.
One of Wisconsin’s signature wins arrived two years later in the team’s season opener against No. 5 LSU at Lambeau Field. Anchored by T.J. Watt, UW won 16-14 and skyrocketed to No. 10 in the AP Poll.
Captained by then head coach Paul Chryst, Wisconsin defeated No. 8 Michigan State just three weeks later.
The Badgers vanquished No. 25 Iowa and No. 19 Michigan in back-to-back weeks in 2017 en route to a 13-1 finish. The triumphs launched them into the top-5 before Chryst’s squad lost to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship game.
While recent outputs suggest otherwise, Wisconsin has experienced its fair share of success since 2014. UW has entered a given week ranked within the ranking’s top 25 on 32 occasions since 2014 and will look to return to the same status this fall.