Wisconsin is one of many college football programs looking to take advantage of the newly expanded College Football Playoff in 2024 and beyond.
The Badgers never reached the four-team playoff in its 10 years of existence. But the program did have three top-12 finishes in the final AP Poll (No. 9 in 2016, No. 7 in 2017 and No. 11 in 2019). Those seasons would have put the team on the fringe of 12-team playoff consideration, depending on which programs would have received at-large bids
The general message: the door is wide open for Luke Fickell and his team to make the expanded field. According to Kelley Ford, a 9-3 record in 2024 could even be enough to at least enter the conversation.
That total comes from Ford’s recently released table with the regular season win total that each program needs in 2024 to enter the at-large conversation. For example, ACC programs with weaker schedules including Duke, Wake Forest and Syracuse would need to go at least 11-1 to be considered. The Florida Gators, meanwhile, face the toughest schedule in the nation and may only need an 8-4 record to build a competitive resume.
Wisconsin is in the 9-win group, mostly thanks to a gauntlet schedule that includes games against Alabama, Oregon, Penn State, USC, Iowa and Nebraska.
How many regular season wins does your team need to be in conversation for a CFP at-large bid?
*Order within the tier matters. Georgia’s 9 wins would be more impressive than Vanderbilt’s, which would be more impressive than Arkansas’, etc. pic.twitter.com/wuXepya3oG
— Kelley Ford (@KFordRatings) July 3, 2024
Again, this table is not saying that Wisconsin will make the playoff with a 9-3 record. It’s citing 9-3 as the floor for consideration, especially if some of those nine wins come against the nation’s top competition.
A 9-win season would be a resounding success for the Badgers in year two under Fickell. It would mark a significant improvement after the 2023 campaign and aid the program’s long-term outlook in a new and challenging Big Ten landscape.
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