Standings – Syndication Server

NFL power rankings roundup: Saints fall further after Week 15 loss

The Saints continue to move further down in the power rankings week by week as they fall to 5-9 on the season with their playoff hopes hanging on by a thread

The New Orleans Saints are back in the loss column after a 20-19 loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 15. This puts them at 5-9 on the season with a less than 1% chance of making the playoffs, as they continue to get closer to a good pick rather than competition.

This moves the Saints to 3-2 in the Darren Rizzi era now, and media outlets have begun to see that this is not a perfect team either, moving them back down to where they were prior to the promotion of Rizzi to interim head coach.

With only three games left in the season and an extremely improbable path left to the playoffs, the Saints are in a pretty bad spot overall, and this leaves them near the bottom of many different media outlets’ power rankings entering Week 16. Here’s a look at where they stand in the rankings of multiple media outlets, as well as where they were at this time last week:

ESPN: No. 23 (prev: 22)
NFL: No. 23 (prev: 23)
CBS Sports: No. 25 (prev: 23)
Bleacher Report: No. 24 (prev: 23)
ProFootballTalk: No. 23 (prev: 22)
Yahoo Sports: No. 21 (prev: 22)
The Athletic: No. 23 (prev: 23)
FOX Sports: No. 23 (prev: 25)
The Ringer: No. 24 (prev: 25)
USA TODAY: No. 26 (prev: No. 25)

High: 21 – Low: 26 – Average: 23.5

The Saints have a few weeks left to go up or down in these rankings, but ultimately I think the most important thing is figuring out if Spencer Rattler is your starting quarterback. After a strong second half showing for him against the Washington Commanders without preparation as the starter, they might as well give him another shot and see how he’s improved.

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Wisconsin rises in both KenPom and ESPN BPI after win over Butler

Wisconsin basketball ended its three-game losing streak on Saturday with an 83-74 win over Butler.

The victory improves the Badgers to 9-3 on the 2024-25 season. Importantly, it guarantees momentum entering the holiday break, barring an unforeseen loss to Detroit Mercy (No. 318 in KenPom) on Dec. 22.

The Badgers had tumbled in both KenPom and ESPN BPI during the mentioned losing streak. The team fell from a fringe-top-20 contender down to the mid-30s of both rankings.

The win over Butler righted that trajectory. Wisconsin rose in both rating metrics:

KenPom: No. 33 (up from No. 35), with the No. 15 offense and No. 89 defense in the country.
BPI: No. 34 (up from No. 35), with a projected record of 20.3 – 10.7 and a 5.5% chance to win the Big Ten.

The Badgers are the No. 9 and No. 8-ranked team in the Big Ten in those two rankings, respectively. While a step down from where the team was after its 8-0 start, each slot is a significant upgrade over where it stood entering the season (No. 46 in KenPom, No. 39 in BPI).

That sentence likely captures the tone of the fanbase: the three-game losing streak paused big-picture expectations, especially in a gauntlet Big Ten. But overall, the Badgers look far better than any expected when the season began.

Wisconsin is back on the court on Dec. 22 at home against Detroit Mercy. It is then off until Jan. 3, 2025 when the Big Ten schedule continues with a home matchup against Iowa.

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Week 13 loss didn’t help Saints’ draft pick, but MNF’s outcome could

Losing to the Rams didn’t help the Saints’ draft pick, but Monday night’s result could. Be sure to cheer against Sean Payton and the Broncos:

Well this stings. The New Orleans Saints’ loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 13 didn’t even help their position in the 2025 NFL draft order. But they aren’t out of the woods yet. The Denver Broncos’ game with the Cleveland Browns on “Monday Night Football” could do a lot to help them out. All Saints fans need to do is root against Sean Payton (or for Jameis Winston).

The Saints went into their matchup with the Rams projected to pick at No. 9 overall, per Tankathon. They’re still at No. 9 after losing to LA, which put their record at 4-8. The Browns are slotted ahead of them at 3-8, and a loss to the Broncos on Monday night could keep them there.

But a win would tie Cleveland with New Orleans, both at 4-8. Their head-to-head result wouldn’t put the Saints ahead, but their lower strength of schedule (.495, at the moment) would help them against the Browns (whose SOS is .512 before this Broncos game). So if the Browns win, they would drop down behind the Saints, who would move up to the eighth overall pick.

For now. There are five more weeks left in the regular season to determine who picks where at the top of the NFL draft. The Saints aren’t mathematically eliminated from the playoffs and they showed plenty of fight in that loss to the Rams; don’t expect them to go in the tank and hope for a better draft pick. We’ll keep tracking where they rank through the weeks ahead, but know this is a fluid process.

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Falcons lose due to multiple Kirk Cousins turnovers, keeping Saints’ hopes alive

The Falcons lost to the Chargers on Sunday due to multiple Kirk Cousins turnovers, keeping the Saints’ playoff hopes alive:

Don’t look now, but there might be a quarterback change on the horizon for the Atlanta Falcons. Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins threw the game away in their Sunday loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, who won 17-13, which teed up a fascinating scenario for the New Orleans Saints as they prepare for kickoff with the Los Angeles Rams. How did we get here?

Cousins played one of the worst games of his pro career, throwing four interceptions without a touchdown pass. One of those interceptions was credited to former Saints safety Marcus Maye, who arrived in Los Angeles just this week after being waived by the Miami Dolphins. Talk about making the most of your opportunity.

As for the implications on the NFC South? That remains to be seen, but for now the Saints are still in this. The Saints go into their game with the LA Rams at 4-7, trailing the Falcons (now at 6-6) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6), who visit the upstart Carolina Panthers (3-8) this afternoon.

Everything depends on the Saints sending the Rams away from New Orleans with a loss, but at this point the division — and the coveted playoff berth — are within reach for Darren Rizzi’s team.

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Wisconsin basketball finds steady position in KenPom, ESPN BPI after win over Chicago State

Wisconsin basketball improved to 8-0 on the 2024-25 season with a decisive 74-53 win over Chicago State on Saturday.

The Badgers didn’t have much trouble vanquishing the winless Cougars squad (No. 360 in KenPom). Greg Gard’s team led by seven at the half-time break before building a 13-point lead at the 15:00-minute mark of the second half. It then extended the lead to 21 points with 10 minutes remaining, sealing the victory.

The Badgers are 8-0 for the first time since 2013-14. Their record includes some strong wins: 103-88 over Arizona (No. 30 in KenPom) and 81-75 over Pittsburgh (No. 13).

As more results are added, rating metrics are developing a consensus about where the team stands.

Wisconsin is now No. 29 in KenPom (No. 19 offense, No. 67 defense) and No. 31 in ESPN BPI after the Chicago State win. Those marks are both good for seventh in the expanded Big Ten Conference.

The Badgers were No. 15 in the AP Poll entering the week. That ranking is sure to rise when the updated poll is released, as numerous highly-ranked teams fell during a busy Feast Week.

Wisconsin may need further decisive efforts in upcoming games against Michigan (Dec. 3) and No. 10 Marquette (Dec. 7) to rise further in KenPom and BPI. For now, the only thing that matters are the tallies in the win-loss columns. Wisconsin is off to a perfect start to the season in that regard.

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B/R believes the Saints could play spoiler late in the season

The playoffs are still a long shot for the Saints, but a B/R writer believes they can upset a playoff team before the season is over.

Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon broke down each NFL team’s status going into Week 13, and he has a unique take on the New Orleans Saints. The Saints are coming off their bye week before facing the Los Angeles Rams. Instead of looking directly at their next game, Gagnon looked further down the road:

At the very least, a rejuvenated Saints team looks primed to play spoiler against Washington and/or Green Bay in December.

Interim head coach Darren Rizzi has this team playing with a new energy, and it’s resulted in two consecutive victories. Can it result in three?

How firm Gagnon stands on his evaluation will depend slightly on how the Saints perform this week.

New Orleans doesn’t look like a playoff team yet. They have shown some of the spark displayed early in the season but it’s difficult to generate too much belief after a seven game losing streak.

They could catch a team like Washington or Green Bay slipping if overlooked. The Saints still have more to prove to say it’s a good chance.

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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.

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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.

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