Wisconsin’s 38-17 Week 1 win over Buffalo was comfortable. But it wasn’t the dominating beatdown many Badgers fans expected entering the contest.
Yes, the running back duo of Braelon Allen and Chez Mellusi were better than advertised — combining for 298 yards and four touchdowns. But Phil Longo’s new-look passing offense mostly sputtered, highlighted by two Tanner Mordecai interceptions.
Aside from that, the defense did well enough for the Badgers to pull away in the second half. Returning to the opening comment, it was a comfortable win.
College football, unlike the NFL, is often about style points. Wins against top-ranked teams matter, but so does looking strong against weak competition. Wisconsin’s performance against Buffalo didn’t fully accomplish that second goal.
The Badgers were ranked by ESPN SP+ as the No. 19 overall team entering the Week 1 contest, with the No. 43-ranked offense and No. 10 defense. Those numbers took a bit of a hit after the program’s Week 1 win over Buffalo, dropping to No. 26 overall (No. 42 offense and No. 14 defense).
WEEK 2 SP+ RANKINGS
* NEW (OLD) NO. 1 ALREADY??
* Gonna take a few more weeks to get Colorado right
* Hello there, OU. I'm sure no one will overreact to your ranking.
* LSU and Clemson: no longer top-20 teams
* The Pac-12: ON THE DAMN RISEhttps://t.co/L0u0FbRH7v— Bill Connelly (@ESPN_BillC) September 5, 2023
The Badgers now turn to a marquee out-of-conference matchup on the road at Washington State.