Tag: Standings

Saints’ frustrating loss to Packers could come back to haunt them

The Saints’ frustrating loss to the blundering Packers could come back to haunt them. They can’t let many more winnable conference games get away from them:

It’s tough to take much satisfaction from the Green Bay Packers’ blundering loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday night — at least for New Orleans Saints fans, no matter how many interceptions Jordan Love threw. This was a team the black and gold had on the ropes back in Week 3, with Derek Carr’s offense holding a 17-0 lead that felt unsurmountable.

Then Carr got hurt and couldn’t return. The offense punted four consecutive times with Jameis Winston under center and Blake Grupe missed his only field goal of the season as the margin for error shrunk defensively. Pass interference fouls on Alontae Taylor and Isaac Yiadom gifted Green Bay 67 of the 80 yards they gained on their first scoring drive, and a rare missed tackle by Demario Davis let the Packers cut the lead to just a single score. You know the rest (and if you missed it, read our full recap here).

What matters now is that the Saints lost a very winnable game to a bad team in a golden opportunity to pad their record against conference opponents. Letting this game get away from them could come back to haunt the Saints when the playoff picture solidifies in December and January.

There are currently eight teams in the conference with three or more wins, but various tiebreaking procedures like divisional standings and conference records leave New Orleans at the bottom of that group. If the playoffs started today, the Saints would be left on the outside looking in. For the sake of illustrating that point, here’s the way-too-early NFC playoff picture after Week 5’s games:

  • 5-0 Philadelphia Eagles (1) on bye
  • 5-0 San Francisco 49ers (2) vs. 3-2 Dallas Cowboys (7)
  • 4-1 Detroit Lions (3) vs. 3-2 Atlanta Falcons (6)
  • 3-1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4) vs. 3-1 Seattle Seahawks (5)

And the 3-2 Saints would be left watching from home. The good news is that they have plenty of conference games left; they’re in the middle of a four-game stretch of matchups with AFC teams leading up to their bye week. They’ll come out of that midseason break with seven consecutive games with NFC teams, four of them at home, with four matchups against division opponents. That’s going to be a great opportunity to strike back and disrupt the standings.

But it all starts now. The Saints must remain focused and take care of business against the teams lined up in front of them. The next step forward will fall Sunday against the Houston Texans.

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NFC South standings: Where do the Saints rank after Week 5?

NFC South standings: Where do the Saints rank after Week 5 compared to their division-rival Falcons, Panthers, and Buccaneers?

The New Orleans Saints kept pace with their rivals around the NFC South with a win over the New England Patriots in Week 5, but they aren’t back on top of their division just yet. There’s more work to be done in the weeks and months ahead before they can take time to rest on their laurels.

Here is where the Saints rank among their peers in the NFC South standings after Week 5’s games:

Wisconsin looking to extend an FBS-leading stretch of success

Wisconsin is looking to extend an college football-leading stretch of success:

Wisconsin improved to 4-1 and 2-0 on the 2023 season with its 24-13 win over Rutgers on Saturday. The win kept the Badgers on the top of the Big Ten West, and got the team just three wins away from clinching its 22nd consecutive winning season.

That stat is correct. The Badgers have not suffered a losing season since 2001. Wisconsin has had five different head coaches during that stretch:

  • Barry Alvarez (118-73-4 record)
  • Bret Bielema (68-24)
  • Gary Anderson (19-7)
  • Paul Chryst (67-26)
  • Jim Leonhard (interim) (5-3)

ESPN FPI gives Wisconsin a 99.5% chance to win six or more games, with a high probability the Badgers surpass the six-win mark this season.

It’s been an impressive run of success in Madison over the last two decades. The ongoing streak of winning seasons sits atop the FBS. Here are the other ongoing streaks:

Wisconsin rises in ESPN SP+ after its win over Rutgers

Wisconsin rises in ESPN SP+ after its win over Rutgers:

Wisconsin took care of business on Saturday with a 23-14 win over Rutgers. The Badgers improved to 4-1 on the season and 2-0 in Big Ten play, positioned perfectly entering the meat of its conference schedule

The win was not perfect, as offensive inconsistency and snap issues were still prevalent. But the team looks like the clear favorite in the Big Ten West. Next Saturday’s showdown with 5-1 Iowa could very well decide the division.

ESPN SP+ agrees with that sentiment. Wisconsin rose two spots upto No. 23 in the ranking, with the No. 38 offense and No. 13 defense. It is the highest-ranked Big Ten West team, with Iowa next at No. 41.

Wisconsin and Iowa will take the field on Saturday at 3 p.m. central at Camp Randall Stadium.

Big Ten Power Rankings after Week 6: Wisconsin continues to rise

Big Ten Power Rankings after Week 6: Wisconsin continues to rise

The Big Ten schedule is heating up with most of the out-of-conference play complete and some big conference matchups on the schedule.

There remains a clear three-team group at the top of the conference with Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State. Behind them, there appear to be 2-3 quality teams before a substantial dropoff.

Wisconsin is firmly in that second group. Its 23-14 win over Rutgers on Saturday move the team’s record to 4-1 on the season and 2-0 in Big Ten play. The Badgers have yet to look overly impressive this season, yet it is finding ways to stack wins entering the meat of the conference schedule.

The Badgers rose after the win over Rutgers. Here are our complete Big Ten Power Rankings after Week 6:

Updated game-by-game predictions for Wisconsin football after its win over Rutgers

Rest-of-season predictions for Wisconsin after its win over Rutgers:

Wisconsin added another tally to the win column on Saturday with a 24-13 triumph over Rutgers. The Badgers are now 4-1 on the season and 2-0 in Big Ten play, and set up well entering what will be a season-defining stretch of football.

The Badgers continue to find wins despite not clicking on all cylinders. But While the team hasn’t looked great, the rest of the Big Ten West around it continues to crumble.

Minnesota got demolished by Michigan, Illinois lost at home to Nebraska, Iowa can barely score points and Northwestern is Northwestern. Wisconsin’s rest-of-season outlook continues to improve, even with the Badgers still need to play better football.

ESPN FPI now has Wisconsin as the No. 23 team in the nation, up one spot from one week ago. Here are FPI’s updated rest-of-season predictions for the Wisconsin Badgers:

Wisconsin sits atop the Big Ten West after Week 6

Wisconsin sits atop the Big Ten West after Week 6

Wisconsin beat Rutgers 24-13 yesterday to improve to 4-1 and 2-0 in Big Ten play.

We’re still very early in the conference season. The Badgers still have most of its Big Ten West schedule remaining plus crossover contests against Ohio State and Indiana.

But as the Badgers pile wins, most of the West continues to lose.

Through Week 6 Wisconsin is the only undefeated team in the West. It sits atop the division with a two-game lead in the loss column against most other programs.

Here are the current Big Ten West standings through six weeks:

1. Wisconsin (2-0)

2. Iowa (2-1)

T-3. Minnesota (1-2)

T-3. Northwestern (1-2)

T-3. Nebraska (1-2)

T-3. Purdue (1-2)

7. Illinois (0-3)

While Wisconsin still has improvements to make, it looks like a prohibitive favorite in the division. The division may end up being close to decided next week when the 5-1 Iowa Hawkeyes visit Madison.

NFC West standings: 49ers don’t gain separation from Rams, Seahawks

Good news: the #49ers still lead the NFC West. The bad news: they didn’t pick up any additional distance from the Rams and Seahawks.

The 49ers remained perfect for the season and undefeated in the NFC West with their 35-16 win over the Cardinals on Sunday.

While getting another division win in is important, San Francisco was unable to gain any separation from the Rams or Seahawks behind them in the division.

Los Angeles went to overtime with the Colts and pulled out a 29-23 victory on the road, then Seattle blew out the Giants on Monday Night Football.

Their victories left the NFC West standings looking like this through four weeks:

1. 49ers (4-0)
2. Seahawks (3-1)
3. Rams (2-2)
4. Cardinals (1-3)

San Francisco won’t play another NFC West game until Week 12 when they visit the Seahawks, who have bounced back strong after a rough opening week.

Staying ahead of the pack is a nice change for the 49ers over the last couple years where they’ve had to battle back from an early hole. Now they face a tough stretch of their schedule where their lead atop the division could be in peril.

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Wisconsin football stays put in ESPN SP+’s Week 5 rankings

Wisconsin stays put in latest SP+ ranking

Wisconsin sat on the sideline this weekend as much of the country competed in Week 5 of the college football season.

In good news, Wisconsin’s Big Ten West foes Nebraska, Northwestern and Illinois all suffered losses. In worse news, Iowa, Purdue and Minnesota all found ways to win.

The Badgers sit atop the West standings with their 1-0 Big Ten record thanks to a win over Purdue. The meat of the Big Ten schedule is imminent with a stretch of Rutgers, Iowa, Illinois and Ohio State starting next week.

Wisconsin will enter the Rutgers game without anything having changed over the weekend. The Badgers remain ranked No. 25 in ESPN’s SP+, with the No. 32-ranked offense and No. 17 defense. They are listed as the prohibitive West favorite, with Iowa at No. 38 being the closest competitor.

ESPN’s Bill Connelly expanded on those conference chances, noting on Twitter what the current model says about the Big Ten Conference: Michigan at 29%, Ohio State at 25%, Wisconsin at 17% and Penn State at 15%.

Wisconsin will have a surprising test against a 4-1 Rutgers team this Saturday at Camp Randall. Much more to come on that contest throughout this week.

Updated game-by-game predictions for Wisconsin football after its bye week

Rest-of-season projections for the Badgers:

Wisconsin exits its bye week with a 3-1 record and a golden opportunity ahead.

The team’s 1-0 record in Big Ten play is good enough to lead the Big Ten West at the moment. An optimist would look at the rest of the division and note there just aren’t many good teams. A pessimist would accept that fact, but also point out the West didn’t have a great team last year, and Wisconsin still couldn’t get the job done.

Wisconsin can cement itself as the clear team to beat if it somehow leaves its upcoming stretch vs. Rutgers, vs. Iowa, at Illinois and vs. Ohio State with a 3-1 mark. With how the rest of the West currently looks, a 4-1 mark in conference could be tough to overcome.

ESPN FPI projects every matchup in college football after each week. Here is how the metric projects the rest of Wisconsin’s season: