The Wisconsin Badgers were included in Yahoo Sports’ recent list of the top 20 College Football Playoff contenders with at least one loss.
This list, which includes 20 teams with at least a longshot of a chance to clinch a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff this winter, features three distinct categories.
Elite one-loss teams including No. 4 Ohio State, No. 10 Clemson and No. 12 Notre Dame were placed in the ‘Still In It’ category, while squads including as No. 7 Alabama, No. 11 Tennessee, No. 22 Illinois and unranked Arizona State made the ‘Still In It But May Need Help’ bucket.
Yahoo Sports senior college football reporter Ross Dellenger placed the Badgers in the ‘Crazier Things Have Happened’ tier of his 20-team list. Wisconsin was listed alongside No. 18 Ole Miss, Iowa, Colorado and Washington State in the longshot category.
Because the playoff will now include 12 teams, Wisconsin can technically clinch a spot if it wins out. The trouble, however, revolves around its final slate of games. Here’s what Dellenger had to say:
“Unfortunately for the Badgers, they still play the top two teams in the Big Ten right now. They get Penn State in two weeks and Oregon in a month (both at home).”
Nonetheless, Wisconsin’s offense appears to have discovered its stride. Over the past two weeks, Fickell’s crew has accumulated over 1,100 total yards in landslide victories over Purdue and Rutgers. Here’s Dellenger’s take on the unit’s possible resurgence:
“If you watched Luke Fickell’s teams in two blowout losses, you’d think there isn’t much hope at all. However, QB Braedyn Locke is finding a groove after replacing injured QB Tyler Van Dyke a few weeks ago. The Badgers’ pounding of Rutgers this past weekend proves that they can beat good teams. But can they beat great ones?”
If Wisconsin were to make the 12-team format, the team would unquestionably need to win both its games against Penn State and Oregon. Northwestern is next on the Badgers schedule on Oct. 19.