power ranking – Syndication Server

Wisconsin continues to dive in ESPN FPI after blowout loss to Iowa

Wisconsin continued its steep slide in ESPN FPI after a 42-10 loss to Iowa on Saturday.

The Badgers dropped six spots from No. 31 to No. 37 with the loss — down 12 slots from the team’s No. 25 ranking entering the Penn State matchup.

The loss continues to dim Wisconsin’s rest-of-season outlook. FPI now projects the team’s final record at 6.3 — 5.7, with a 82% chance of reaching bowl eligibility.

The Badgers move forward with matchups against Oregon (No. 7 in FPI), Nebraska (No. 55) and Minnesota (No. 31). Oregon and Minnesota are on the rise after continued strong play, while Nebraska has plummeted after three consecutive losses.

It goes without saying that Luke Fickell’s team needs to improve upon its recent form to reach the six-win threshold required for postseason eligibility — let alone to have a chance at defeating top-ranked Oregon.

The Badgers are idle in Week 11 before hosting the Ducks on Nov. 16. The bye week could be much-needed for a team and program currently on the ropes.

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Wisconsin falls in ESPN FPI after Week 9 loss to Penn State

Wisconsin fell in ESPN FPI after its 28-13 loss to Penn State on Saturday.

The Badgers dropped six spots from No. 25 to No. 31 in the metric, due to their rating falling to 9.2. The dip halts the team’s rapid ascension over its previous three-game winning streak. It also dims its rest-of-season outlook with challenging games upcoming.

Wisconsin moves forward with games against Iowa (No. 26 in FPI), Oregon (No. 8), Nebraska (No. 46) and Minnesota (No. 35). The Badgers had created separation from that trio of rivals — Oregon aside. That separation is mostly gone after Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota all delivered strong performances in Week 9.

FPI’s rest-of-season forecast for Wisconsin specifically includes a projected final record of 6-9 — 5.1, a 92.1% chance to reach bowl eligibility and a 0.1% chance to make the College Football Playoff.

final: Wisconsin 13, Penn State 28

— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) October 27, 2024

Other notable FPI movements from around the Big Ten include Ohio State dropping from No. 1 to No. 2, Minnesota jumping 10 spots to No. 35, Nebraska jumping 12 spots to No. 46, Michigan falling to No. 39 despite a victory and Maryland plummeting to No. 59 with its blowout loss.

The Badgers are back in action next Saturday night for a rivalry showdown against the Iowa Hawkeyes.

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Wisconsin climbs ESPN FPI after Week 8 win over Northwestern

Wisconsin continues to trend positively in ESPN FPI after a third consecutive victory, this one a 23-3 win over Northwestern.

The Badgers rose three spots in the metric from No. 28 to No. 25 after the performance. They are up nearly 30 spots over the last few weeks after entering Week 7’s game at Rutgers ranked No. 54. FPI is paying attention to Wisconsin’s apparent resurgence — its three straight wins by a combined point margin of 117-16.

Movement across the Big Ten now sees Wisconsin ranked as the No. 6-best team in the conference, behind only Ohio State (No. 1), Oregon (No. 8), Penn State (No. 9), Indiana (No. 11) and USC (No. 15).

It moves forward to a tough finishing stretch with games against Penn State (No. 9), Iowa (No. 26), Oregon (No. 8), Nebraska (No. 58) and Minnesota (No. 45). FPI’s rest-of-season forecast for Wisconsin against that schedule includes a projected final record of 7.4 — 4.6, a 96.1% chance to reach bowl eligibility, a 0.9% chance to win the Big Ten and a 1.7% chance to make the College Football Playoff.

Wisconsin (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) can take a big step toward Playoff contention with a home win over Penn State (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) on Saturday. The game is quickly becoming one of the biggest of the Luke Fickell era to date.

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Wisconsin rockets up ESPN FPI power rankings after big win over Rutgers

Wisconsin rockets up ESPN FPI rankings after big win over Rutgers

The Wisconsin Badgers (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) are trending in the right direction after a second consecutive dominant win, this a 42-7 road victory over Rutgers.

The team’s two recent wins over Purdue and Rutgers have been by a combined margin of 94-13. That level of dominance had not been seen during the Luke Fickell era — signaling substantial growth in his second year in charge.

One accurate barometer of the team’s current trajectory is its ESPN FPI.

Wisconsin entered the week 54th in the metric, 10 spots behind Rutgers. After the win, Wisconsin is up 26 spots, to 28th, in the nation. That rise includes a new projected final record of 6.9 — 5.1, an 86.2% chance to reach a bowl game and a rising 1.8% chance to make the College Football Playoff.

The Badgers are the seventh highest-rated team in the Big Ten behind Ohio State (No. 2), Oregon (No. 8), Penn State (No. 9), USC (No. 13), Indiana (No. 15) and Iowa (No. 23).

Wisconsin’s rest-of-season outlook has changed dramatically over the last few weeks. The remaining schedule has games against Oregon, Penn State, Nebraska and Iowa. But the Badgers are on a steep ascent and are quickly becoming a team nobody in the conference wants to face.

Fickell’s team is back on the field next Saturday at Northwestern (3-3, 1-2 Big Ten). Another strong showing would only continue what has become a potential program resurgence.

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247Sports not confident in Wisconsin’s defensive line entering 2024

The Wisconsin Badgers’ defensive line ranks No. 11 out of the 18 teams in the expanded Big Ten entering the 2024 season, according to 247Sports.

Its ranking is led by Ohio State at No. 1, Michigan at No. 2, Penn State at No. 3, Oregon at No. 4 and Iowa at No. 5. It is no coincidence that those top four teams also happen to be the four conference favorites and will likely be College Football Playoff participants. History shows that there is a significant correlation between a great defensive line winning on the scoreboard.

Related: Wisconsin’s all-time record against every Big Ten football team

The Badgers’ group of James Thompson Jr., Elijah Hills (transfer), Brandon Lane (transfer), Ben Barten, Curt Neal and Cade McDonald is arguably the team’s biggest question entering the season. Thompson is established as a legitimate contributor. It appears that the performances of the transfers Hills and Lane could be what decides whether the unit is improved after a sub-par 2023 season.

Best defensive line groups in the new-look #B1G.https://t.co/7GVWgrGNkn pic.twitter.com/zDtpFFkekR

— Bucknuts (@Bucknuts247) June 27, 2024

Here’s what 247Sports wrote about Wisconsin’s defensive line and its No. 11 ranking:

“Other than Thompson, Wisconsin does not have much for returning production on the defensive line in 2024. That is not to say this unit will be the weakness of the Badgers’ defense, but it is a critical area if they want to finish in the top half of the Big Ten this season.”

The bottom of the ranking is Indiana at No. 14, Minnesota at No. 15, Michigan State at No. 16, Illinois at No. 17 and Purdue at No. 18. It’s no surprise that those project to be the five teams at the bottom of the conference standings when the season concludes.

Again: a great defensive line loosely equates to winning on the field. A bad defensive line, on the other hand, usually leads to losses. Wisconsin’s group is below average entering the season and could be the team’s Achilles heel.

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EA Sports College Football 25 video game overall power rankings for 2024 season

EA Sports College Football 25 overall power rankings for 2024 season

EA Sports College Football 25 finished its unveiling of the team and unit rankings for the soon-to-be-released video game on Friday.

Those rankings have recently included the stadium atmospheres, as well as the top 25 offensive and defensive units. Wisconsin ranked favorably in two of the three — No. 7 overall in toughest stadium environments and No. 15 in the defense ranking.

Those slots, plus the low ranking of the team’s offense, all make sense entering the upcoming football season. Wisconsin has high expectations after a poor 7-6 2023 season. Its defense should take another step forward in year two under head coach Luke Fickell and defensive coordinator Mike Tressel, while the offense remains a question as the program transitions to Phil Longo’s air raid.

In all, Wisconsin should be competitive with every team it faces this season — even with top-ranked Oregon, Alabama and Penn State. But the program may be a year or two away from breaking through and defeating those teams.

That sentiment is reflected in where Wisconsin ranks in the overall team ratings for the upcoming release of EA Sports College Football 25:

Where Wisconsin ranks in EA Sports College Football 25 defense power ratings

The Wisconsin Badgers have the No. 15-ranked defense in the soon-to-be-released EA Sports College Football 25 video game.

The Badgers have an 86 overall rating, tied with Virginia Tech, USC and Auburn in the 14-17 range of the game’s power ranking.

EA Sports’ defense ratings differ greatly from ESPN SP+ and most other metrics entering the season. The Badgers have SP+’s No. 7-ranked defense entering 2024, though only have an 86 overall rating. USC, meanwhile, has SP+’s No. 87-ranked defense entering the season but is also an 86 rating in the video game.

Another notable rating disagreement is Nebraska at No. 6 in ESPN SP+ but sits on the outside of EA Sports’ top 25.

The full top 25 ratings matter for gameplay, but don’t seem to be a great reflection of what is to come on the actual football field this fall.

NEW: EA Sports College Football 25 Defensive Power Rankings👀

Do you agree? ⬇️https://t.co/fXdSqLqFlV pic.twitter.com/xGAtKOT1ED

— On3 (@On3sports) June 27, 2024

Wisconsin’s defense is the team’s clear strength entering the season, regardless of where it should rank in the soon-to-be-released video game. The unit returns stars S Hunter Wohler, CB Ricardo Hallman and most of its 2023 secondary, plus added impact transfers including ILB Jaheim Thomas, OLB John Pius, OLB Leon Lowery and DL Brandon Lane.

The team’s performance will be graded on a harsh curve with the dynamic offenses of Alabama, Oregon, Penn State and USC all on the schedule. But while the Badgers’ offensive identity has changed, the program’s defensive strength should remain into the future.

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Wisconsin omitted from ESPN’s ‘top 25 offenses for 2024 and beyond’

Do you think Wisconsin’s offense is in for a resurgent 2024 season?

Wisconsin football was not included in ESPN’s recently released ‘power ranking of college football’s top 25 offenses in 2024 and beyond.’

Ohio State unsurprisingly led the list, as it is primed for another huge 2024 with top-end talent across the unit. Other Big Ten teams included are Oregon at No. 4, USC at No. 6, Michigan at No. 10, Penn State at No. 14 and Washington at No. 25.

Wisconsin missing the ranking is a surprise with the program’s offense set for a resurgent 2024 season. It may not reach the top-end levels of Ohio State, Georgia and Oregon, but Luke Fickell has reshaped the personnel as the unit enters year two under OC Phil Longo.

The negative public sentiment surrounding Wisconsin is likely due to the last four years of offensive stagnation, especially toward the end of the Paul Chryst era. Fickell and Longo’s debut season also fell short of unreachably-high expectations. It isn’t an entire surprise that the national audience doesn’t believe in the unit.

Which college offenses have the brightest future? 🤔@ESPNRittenberg ranked them by projecting the next three seasons (@ESPNPlus) 🔗 https://t.co/WzlyjENRwG pic.twitter.com/lVvggzj5qn

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) May 14, 2024

But ESPN’s ranking has programs including Kansas, Western Kentucky, Memphis and Louisville ranked in the 20-25 range. Wisconsin’s offense should surpass each of those programs by the end of 2024, and be well-positioned entering 2025 and beyond.

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Wisconsin misses 247Sports’ ranking of ‘college football’s most impressive facilities’

Wisconsin was not included in 247Sports’ Brad Crawford’s updated ranking of college football’s most impressive facilities on Monday.

The list includes 30 programs, including the Big Ten’s Penn State (No. 30), USC (No. 29), Illinois (No. 22), Michigan (No. 18), Maryland (No. 16), Northwestern (No. 13), Nebraska (No. 8), Ohio State (No. 7) and Oregon (No. 1).

The Badgers have seemingly fallen behind in college football’s never-ending facilities arm race. That said, the program was recently approved for a new $285 million indoor practice facility.

The project is set to replace the Camp Randall Memorial Sports Center — commonly known as The Shell — and the 80-yard football practice field in the McClain Center with a new state-of-the-art facility. It is still reportedly being designed, with construction set to start in 2025.

The state of college football, and college athletics as a whole, is currently in flux. Right now, athletic departments have record revenue and minimal operating expenses due to the players not being directly paid. That money funds each schools’ other sports in most cases, or is funneled into facilities like seen in Crawford’s ranking.

.@BCrawford247 ranks college football's 30 most impressive facilities in 2024: https://t.co/9moZ4koXGk pic.twitter.com/DzW9AnwcRp

— 247Sports (@247Sports) May 13, 2024

Wisconsin is a ‘have’ when it comes to revenue. The Big Ten pays out record money each year thanks to its new television deal. The hope is the program’s new practice facility brings it up to the level of the other top contenders in the country.

All of these things matter when discussing how programs differentiate themselves in the eyes of recruits. While money may mean more to recruits now than it once did, facilities still play into that decision. The good news for Badgers fans: there is action being taken to ensure this ranking isn’t the same in the future.

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Which Big Ten football team has the toughest conference schedule in 2024?

Wisconsin has one of the conference’s toughest schedules in 2024

The Big Ten football season is going to look different in 2024.

New additions USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington bring more formidable opponents to the table. But more importantly, gone is the East-West Division model, replaced by a format of conference standings similar to that in basketball.

There are some blockbuster out-of-conference games to monitor before the conference slate begins this fall. Wisconsin hosts Alabama, USC faces LSU and Michigan meets Texas. Then begins the conference schedule, which is filled with big-time matchups every weekend.

So far this offseason we’ve already ranked all 18 programs in the Big Ten, ranked the 18 head coaches, predicted each Big Ten team’s 2024 record and checked in on the Las Vegas win totals for each team in the conference.

Now it’s time to take a look at each team’s 2024 conference schedule:

So, to rank each program’s 2024 Big Ten schedule as we preview the 2024 season we’ve taken each team’s ESPN SP+ rating and found numerical values for every game, and therefore every schedule.

The equation is simple. Every opponent’s SP+ rating is added together to find a Total Opponent Score. That large number is then divided by the nine conference games to find the Average Opponent Score — a number that can then be compared to the SP+ leaderboard to find the average quality of team each schedule contains.

Here is how each program’s 2024 Big Ten Conference schedule ranks, from easiest to most challenging:

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.