Athlon Sports released their Top 25 for the 2020 season earlier today and had Wisconsin at No. 12, good for the third-highest ranking of a Big Ten team.
Ahead of the release of our college football annual in two weeks, here's a look at our Top 25 teams for the 2020 season:https://t.co/tUwhKRvodQ pic.twitter.com/SauVWGNm9A
— Athlon Sports (@AthlonSports) May 19, 2020
Ahead of the Badgers are the Ohio State Buckeyes at No. 3 and the Penn State Nittany Lions at No. 5.
“Few question marks surround this team, but coach Paul Chryst’s squad has a couple to address on offense,” the article reads. “Who will fill the void left behind by Jonathan Taylor at running back? The Badgers may not lean on one option, instead choosing to rotate Nakia Watson, Garrett Groshek, Isaac Guerendo and freshmen Julius Davis and Jalen Berger in the backfield. Quarterback Jack Coan was steady (69.6 completion percentage) and didn’t make a lot of mistakes (five picks), but redshirt freshman Graham Mertz has more upside at the position. Can Mertz make a push for the starting job in the fall.”
The piece finishes its look into the 2020 Badger team talking about Jim Leonhard‘s defense, saying “Wisconsin’s defense held teams to 16.9 points a game in 2019 and ranks again among the best in the Big Ten. Coordinator Jim Leonhard’s group brings back nine starters, with linebackers Chris Orr and Zack Baun (24 combined sacks in 2019) leaving big shoes to fill at the position.”
This ranking comes on the heels of a No. 16 ranking in Sporting News’ recent Top 25, both rankings significantly lower than ESPN FPI having the Badgers as the fourth-best team in the country.