Standings – Syndication Server

Where Wisconsin basketball stands in KenPom and ESPN BPI after win over Arizona

Wisconsin basketball is on the rise after its 103-88 win over No. 9 Arizona on Friday.

The Badgers are 4-0 after the statement victory. The team, which had tempered expectations entering the year, appears to again be one of the Big Ten’s best.

Those season expectations should rise as the team flashes top form during nonconference play. It will be tested once the Big Ten schedule begins, especially with the inclusion of the conference’s new members.

Before that point, it’s worth documenting the team’s ascension in rating metrics and national rankings. KenPom and ESPN BPI are taking note of the Badgers’ stellar start to the season:

KenPom: No. 30 overall (up 10 spots) — No. 17 offense, No. 57 defense
ESPN BPI: No. 23 overall (up six spots) — 14.2 rating, 20.6 – 9.4 projected record, 15.4% chance to win Big Ten Conference

Wisconsin is sure to enter the AP Poll Top 25 when it is updated to start the week. It should hold ranking with a home game against UT-Rio Grande on Monday before a weekend trip to the Greenbrier Tip-Off, which includes Pittsburgh, Central Florida and LSU.

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Dan Quinn refuses to talk to Commanders about standings & playoffs

Dan Quinn does not want his team to miss one step on this journey by talking about the future.

What has Dan Quinn told his Commanders team about the NFL standings or the playoffs?

“Zero, zero,” Quinn replied to the media on Tuesday.

The former Atlanta Falcons head coach won a division and finished second in the division three times. To conclude the 2016 season, he won the NFC title and nearly won a Super Bowl.

So he knows the ropes. He also knows the dangers of allowing players to look too far ahead. They can easily forget what is right in front of them and not being prepared, lose their opportunities.

“That’s not a coaching cop-out either. I just honestly want to stay in the pocket of where we’re at. I don’t want us to miss a step on this journey, and I don’t want to miss the next step that we have to take. And that’s this weekend and then the next one and the next one.”

When the Commanders won their Week 9 game at the NY Giants, they weren’t dominant, but they did do enough to prevent the Giants from having the ball and a chance to take the lead in the second half (27-22 final).

Quinn and Adam Peters have changed this entire culture, from 4-13 in 2023 to talking about how high a seed the Commanders can be in the NFC playoffs in 2021.

“I’m just kind of thinking about today, today’s practice and Thursday’s game, man. And like I haven’t talked to them much past that. It’s just let’s go battle for it this weekend. And I did the same thing last weekend when a lot of talk was, there’s two games in 11 days, and that I said, maybe we just got one game this week, and we got one game next week. And so, we’ll worry about next week then.”

Four Big Ten teams, Wisconsin’s upcoming opponent lead Week 11 College Football Playoff rankings

Four Big Ten teams land in the top five of the latest College Football Playoff rankings after Week 11 of the 2024 season.

The Oregon Ducks (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) lead the way at No. 1, followed by Ohio State (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten) at No. 2, Penn State (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten) at No. 4 and Indiana (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) at No. 5.

The Ducks, who are currently favored to capture the Big Ten title, will grab the No. 1 seed in the projected bracket based on those rankings. Ohio State is down at No. 5 as the top at-large team, while Penn State and Indiana are at No. 6 and No. 7, respectively.

The updated 12-team bracket gives first-round byes to the four highest-ranked conference champions. The No. 5 seed plays No. 12, No. 6 plays No. 11, and so on — all first-round games on the campus of the higher-ranked team.

🚨NEW College Football Playoff Rankings have been released 🚨

Thoughts?? pic.twitter.com/EY5uYCADhO

— Always College Football (@AlwaysCFB) November 13, 2024

Once the field is cut to eight teams, the participants populate top bowl matchups including the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl and Cotton Bowl.

Wisconsin is obviously far from contention with a 5-4 record through nine games. The Badgers have lost to several projected playoff participants — No. 10 Alabama and No. 4 Penn State. Most significantly, the team hosts No. 1 Oregon at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday.

The Badgers will be looking for their first win over an AP (and CFP) No. 1-ranked team since they defeated No. 1 Ohio State in 2010. A win would shake-up the national landscape with little time remaining before the conclusion of the regular season.

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

Wisconsin basketball rockets up both KenPom and ESPN BPI after win over Appalachian State

Wisconsin basketball improved to 3-0 on the 2024-25 season with a blowout win over Appalachian State on Sunday.

The win was powered by transfer wing John Tonje, a common sentence in the season’s early stages. He finished with 17 points on 8-of-14 shooting, plus seven rebounds, five assists and two steals. Senior center Steven Crowl also had his best outing of the young season, adding 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting.

Wisconsin is off to a strong start. Though the opponents are far from the class of the sport, the Badgers are taking clear steps forward with every contest. That improvement, mixed with decisive winning, should be enough to create optimism surrounding the team’s rest-of-season outlook.

For more on that outlook, here is where Greg Gard’s group stands in KenPom and ESPN’s Basketball Power Index after the win over Appalachian State:

KenPom: No. 40 overall (up nine spots) — No. 37 offense, No. 55 defense
ESPN BPI: No. 29 overall (up 10 spots) — 13.1 rating, 18.8 – 11.2 projected record, 6.7% chance to win Big Ten Conference

Those trend lines are just from the decisive victory over Appalachian State. The movement has the team now ranked No. 5 in the Big Ten by BPI and No. 10 by KenPom.

The latter may be a bit more reserved on the Badgers’ quality after only three games. Regardless, it’s worthwhile noting that our updated Big Ten basketball power rankings aren’t the only measure that is upgrading Wisconsin after the first week of the season.

The Badgers are back on the Kohl Center court for a premier matchup against No. 10 Arizona on Friday. A win would only continue the team’s current upward trajectory.

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

Big Ten Conference dominates latest US LBM Coaches Poll after Week 11

Big Ten Conference leads latest US LBM Coaches Poll after Week 11

The Big Ten highlights the latest US LBM Coaches Poll after Week 11 of the 2024 college football season.

The conference boasts No. 1 Oregon (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten), No. 2 Ohio State (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten), No. 5 Penn State (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten) and No. 6 Indiana (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten). Illinois (6-3, 3-3 Big Ten) also made it into the ‘receiving votes’ category.

The poll, conducted weekly throughout the college football regular season, receives input from a panel of head coaches at Football Bowl Subdivision schools. Those coaches submit a full 1-through-25 ballot, which combines into the poll’s full standings.

Notable Week 11 results shook up the poll’s top group, with Georgia (now No. 10) losing to Ole Miss and Miami (now No. 12) losing to Georgia Tech. Meanwhile, Big Ten powers Oregon, Ohio State, Penn State and Indiana all triumphed, the first three in blowout fashion.

That leads to the conference currently containing four of the top six-ranked teams in the country.

Here is a full look at the latest US LBM Coaches Poll after Week 11:

US LBM Coaches Poll:

Rank	Team	Record	Points
1	Oregon Ducks	10-0	1,375 (55)
2	Ohio State Buckeyes	8-1	1,314
3	Texas Longhorns	8-1	1,262
4	Tennessee Volunteers	8-1	1,138
5	Penn State Nittany Lions	8-1	1,113
6	Indiana Hoosiers	10-0	1,057
7	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	8-1	1,038
8	BYU Cougars	9-0	994
9	Alabama Crimson Tide	7-2	899
10	Georgia Bulldogs	7-2	887
11	Ole Miss Rebels	8-2	877
12	Miami Hurricanes	9-1	820
13	SMU Mustangs	8-1	691
13	Boise State Broncos	8-1	691
15	Texas A&M Aggies	7-2	597
16	Clemson Tigers	7-2	536
17	Army Black Knights	9-0	466
18	Washington State Cougars	8-1	385
19	Kansas State Wildcats	7-2	332
20	Colorado Buffaloes	7-2	329
21	Missouri Tigers	7-2	277
22	LSU Tigers	6-3	257
23	South Carolina Gamecocks	6-3	118
24	Louisville Cardinals	6-3	109
25	Iowa State Cyclones	7-2	92

Schools Dropped Out
No. 23 Pittsburgh; No. 25 Vanderbilt;
Others Receiving Votes
Tulane 85; Louisiana 42; Arizona State 30; Pittsburgh 28; UNLV 17; Memphis 11; Navy 3; James Madison 2; Illinois 2;Duke 1;

Wisconsin faces No. 1 Oregon next Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, 6:30 p.m. CT, broadcast on NBC.

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

Wisconsin basketball falls in ESPN BPI after opening win over Holy Cross

Wisconsin basketball began its 2024-25 season with an 85-61 victory over Holy Cross on Monday.

Despite the final 24-point margin, the win was far from a wire-to-wire dominant showing. The Badgers trailed 13-3 in the first minutes, 23-7 halfway through the first half and 36-35 at halftime. The team eventually found its form, but could not coast to an easy victory against ESPN BPI’s No. 331 (of 364) team in the sport.

Those early-game struggles and lack of overall dominance saw the Badgers dip in ESPN’s Basketball Power Index despite the win. The team dropped from its preseason slot of No. 28 down to No. 39, also down to the No. 9-ranked team in the Big Ten.

ESPN BPI now projects the Badgers’ final record at 18.2 — 11.8 (10.4 — 9.6 in Big Ten play), and gives them a 5.5% chance to win the conference.

The good news: early-season rankings updates don’t define a team’s rest-of-season fate. The 2024-25 Badgers may face a predictable slow start with several new faces in the lineup. But the team projects to be one that improves as the season continues, especially as the transfer additions gel in the rotation and top youngsters including Daniel Freitag continue to develop.

Wisconsin’s second-half performance against Holy Cross showed the start of that development, as transfer wing John Tonje and sophomore forward Nolan Winter took over the matchup.

The Badgers are back on the Kohl Center court on Thursday against Montana State (No. 173 in BPI). They then continue with a home matchup with Appalachian State (No. 194) before a high-profile showdown with top-ranked Arizona (No. 5).

Badgers fans should watch for progress from the team through each of these matchups. Steady development from Greg Gard’s group will have it in strong position once Big Ten play heats up in January.

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

Where do Packers stand in NFC North and playoff race entering bye week?

The Packers are 6-3 entering the bye. Where do they stand in the NFC North and NFC playoff race?

The Green Bay Packers are entering the bye week with a 6-3 record after losing 24-14 to the Detroit Lions on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

Matt LaFleur’s team is currently in possession of a playoff spot in the NFC ahead of Week 10, but the Packers have plenty of work to do against a tough schedule during the second half of the season.

If the season ended today, the Packers would be the No. 7 seed in the NFC and face the NFC East-leading Washington Commanders on the road in the NFC Wild Card Round.

Here’s a quick look at the standings entering the bye week:

NFC playoff standings

1. Detroit Lions (7-1)
2. Washington Commanders (7-2)
3. Atlanta Falcons (6-3)
4. Arizona Cardinals (5-4)
5. Minnesota Vikings (6-2)
6. Philadelphia Eagles (6-2)
7. Green Bay Packers (6-3)

Other contenders: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-4), Chicago Bears (4-4), Los Angeles Rams (4-4), San Francisco 49ers (4-4), Seattle Seahawks (4-5)

The Packers have already lost to three teams ahead of them in the NFC playoff race and are 2-3 overall against the conference, complicating the path up the standings. But LaFleur’s team does still have road playoff games against the Lions and Vikings — and last year’s team won in both Detroit and Minneapolis. Unless the Packers can catch fire and hunt down the Lions, a road playoff game in the wildcard round looks like the most likely entry into the postseason.

NFC North standings

1. Detroit Lions (7-1 overall, 2-0 vs. division)
2. Minnesota Vikings (6-2 overall, 1-1 vs. division)
3. Green Bay Packers (6-3 overall, 0-2 vs. division)
4. Chicago Bears (4-4 overall, 0-0 vs. division)

There’s a lot of football left to be played in the NFC North this season. Only six of the 24 total matchups between division rivals have been played through Week 9. The Packers have dug themselves a decent hole, especially considering the two division losses both came at home against the top contenders. LaFleur’s team will go on the road to play the Bears in the first game coming out of the bye on Nov. 17 and has a rematch with the Lions in Detroit on Dec. 5. Can the Lions be caught in the standings?

Packers remaining schedule

Week 11: at Chicago Bears (4-4)
Week 12: vs. San Francisco 49ers (4-4)
Week 13: vs. Miami Dolphins (2-6)
Week 14: at Detroit Lions (7-1)
Week 15: at Seattle Seahawks (4-5)
Week 16: vs. New Orleans Saints (2-7)
Week 17: at Minnesota Vikings (6-2)
Week 18: vs. Chicago Bears (4-4)

One way or another, one of the NFL’s longest losing streaks will end in Week 9

One way or another, one of the NFL’s longest losing streaks will end in Week 9. Either the Saints or the Panthers will have a new lease on life:

Win, lose, or draw — one way or another, one of the NFL’s longest losing streaks will end in Week 9. Either the New Orleans Saints or the Carolina Panthers will have a new lease on life by Monday.

Because the New York Jets won on Thursday night and the New England Patriots pulled out a win last week, the Saints are in sole possession of the NFL’s longest active losing streak, having dropped six in a row. The next-longest losing streak belongs to the Panthers, who haven’t won a game in their last five tries.

The Saints need a win in the worst way. The goodwill their 2-0 start earned them has been burnt away by a monthlong losing skid. Even if it’s just the Panthers, who they beat handily to start the season, a win would do a lot to buy them some room to breathe. Right now New Orleans is just above Carolina at the bottom of the conference standings.

At the same time, the Panthers could really use a win, too. Bryce Young has struggled as badly as any former first overall draft pick could and his return to the starting lineup is hardly secure. Managing to beat the Saints, even if they’re badly injured in the secondary, would do a lot for him, too.

These are two bad teams, but that doesn’t mean they have nothing to play for at the season’s midway point. Pride, job security, and a long-shot playoff bid are still on the line. All that’s left to see is who comes out on top.

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Saints scout two of the 2025 draft’s best prospects at Colorado

The Saints stopped at Colorado’s campus to scout two of the 2025 draft’s best prospects. They’re in position to draft Travis Hunter or Shedeur Sanders, but will they?

NFL Scouts at Colorado Practice Today :

– Texans (2)
– Ravens (2)
– Giants (2) + Giants Assistant GM
– Saints
– Jets#SkoBuffs 🦬 pic.twitter.com/9mx09BxtK5

— We Coming 🦬 (@SkoBuffsGoBuffs) October 22, 2024

We’ll see how the standings shake out after this week’s round of NFL games, but right now the New Orleans Saints are slotted in at the fifth overall pick in the 2025 draft after their 2-6 start to the season. That’s prime position to select a top prospect like Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter or standout quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

And last week the Saints were one of five NFL teams who stopped by Colorado’s campus in Boulder to scout the Buffaloes. Hunter is seen as a franchise-altering talent at either wide receiver or cornerback, and Sanders is competing with Miami’s Cameron Ward to be the first passer selected. It makes sense that the Saints would be keeping tabs on each of them.

But those aren’t Colorado’s only NFL prospects. Wide receiver Will Sheppard and safety Shilo Sanders should both be drafted in the middle rounds or early on Day 3. Another wideout, Jimmy Horn Jr., is a rising star, too.

Campus visits like this are common for NFL teams, so don’t read too deeply into it. They’re often used for information-gathering so scouts can fill out their reports after meeting with coaches, trainers, and even academic counselors. But if the Saints keep losing and end up in position to pick a playmaker like Hunter or Sanders? Well. Stranger things have happened.

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NFL power rankings roundup: Saints continue to spiral after last week’s loss

The NFL power rankings only continue to get lower on the New Orleans Saints. They must find a way to win and escape this spiral:

The NFL power rankings standings only continue to get worse for the New Orleans Saints as the team plummets downward now on a five-game losing streak in what is shaping up to be one of their worst seasons in recent history. The most recent of those losses presented itself in the 33-10 lopsided fall to an also struggling Denver Broncos team.

New Orleans has hit several new historic lows or matched those of previous years seemingly by the week and continue to do so in a way that leaves reason to believe that major changes could be coming down the line sooner rather than later.

They’ve been plagued by multiple injuries and have had to deal with adversity like quarterback Derek Carr going down with an injury and unexpectedly having to be replaced by an inexperienced quarterback, but there are far more glaring issues on either side of the ball abound contributing to the team’s lack of success.

Here’s how some of the most major media outlets ranked the Saints moving into Week 8:

ESPN: 22 (prev: 18)

NFL: 24 (prev: 21)

CBS Sports: 22 (prev: 20)

Bleacher Report: 25 (prev: 18)

ProFootballTalk: 23 (prev: 18)

Yahoo Sports: 28 (prev: 23)

The Athletic: 22 (prev: 21)

FOX Sports: 24 (prev: 18)

The Ringer: 26 (prev: 22)

High: 28 – Low: 22 – Average: 24

It will be interesting to watch if the team can get back on track as it goes up against the Los Angeles Chargers on the road Sunday.

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