Saturday Blitz
Fansided

Wisconsin Football: Outlook on first 2017 College Football Playoff rankings

By Trevor Jossart

CHAMPAIGN, IL - OCTOBER 28: Bradrick Shaw #7 of the Wisconsin Badgers runs the ball as Del'Shawn Phillips #3 of the Illinois Fighting Illini tries to make the stop at Memorial Stadium on October 28, 2017 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - OCTOBER 28: Bradrick Shaw #7 of the Wisconsin Badgers runs the ball as Del'Shawn Phillips #3 of the Illinois Fighting Illini tries to make the stop at Memorial Stadium on October 28, 2017 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Where will Wisconsin football fall in the first edition of the 2017 College Football Playoff rankings?

In wake of the first edition of this year’s College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings, the Wisconsin Badgers find themselves in an interesting spot with a lot of mystery surrounding where they might end up.

The Badgers currently sit at 8-0 and are in first place by two games in the Big Ten West division over Northwestern. They currently sit in the top five of both the AP and Coaches polls and are one of just five undefeated teams in all of FBS college football (Alabama, Georgia, Miami, Central Florida).

Despite the high ranking and undefeated mark, Wisconsin fans should expect the Badgers to receive low praise when the first CFP rankings come out on Tuesday. Now, some college football fans would argue that the Badgers have had a soft schedule, and they are more than not correct. Wisconsin has the No. 80 strength of schedule in the country. Comparing that to other top ten teams, the next worst team is Alabama with the 51st overall strength of schedule.

To counter that argument, the Badgers have the No. 11 best mark according to strength of record (SOR). Wisconsin has yet to play a ranked team, but there SOR indicates it has not been as terrible as people think. The Badgers still have 5-3 Iowa and 6-2 Michigan on their schedule.

The ridicule of the Badgers’ schedule has caused in uproar on the imbalance of the Big Ten divisions. Before Saturday, there were three Big Ten East teams ranked in the top 16, with Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan State all undefeated in conference play. Penn State and Michigan State ended up losing heartbreakers and will fall accordingly in the rankings.

Criticism of Wisconsin’s schedule has also hurt them in a national picture. The Badgers “big” non-conference game was supposed to be at BYU this year, whom the program scheduled about four years ago when the Cougars were a 10-win team. It is not the Badgers’ fault the Cougars have just two wins this year.

It is also not Wisconsin’s fault they drew the Big Ten schedule they did, but again- no one was complaining last year when the Badgers had Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State in their cross-division games. It cannot be helped who is played, but how they play them is what is hurting the Badgers.

Wisconsin has had three games in Big Ten play this season that have been decided by 15 points or less. Of course, in college football a win is a win- but when the strength of schedule is not there to help make arguments with regards to CFP positioning, it is critical Wisconsin bank on style points to get the job done. A nine point win over Northwestern, eight over Purdue, and 14 over Illinois may be hurting the Badgers more than any one loss could at this point.

It is likely the Badgers will get jumped by a couple one-loss teams when the rankings are released on Tuesday. Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and Ohio State serve as the best teams do so as each of those one-loss teams have losses to top 25 teams respectively. Clemson may also get the nod, but their loss against Syracuse could be costly as they have done something Wisconsin has not: secure a bad loss.

Either way, there should be no controversy or uproar following the release of the CFP rankings. With Wisconsin’s light schedule, there are two scenarios that will help them move up. First off, is impressive wins. The Badgers have some quality opponents coming up on their schedule finally and if they want to prove they can belong, impressive wins will certainly do just that.

The second scenario is simply to just win. Many teams ahead and surrounding them have tough games remaining on their schedules. For instance Oklahoma still has TCU and Oklahoma State, Ohio State has Michigan State and Michigan, and Notre Dame has Miami and Stanford. A regular season loss for the Badgers will more than likely knock them out of consideration, but winning out with a chance to knock off Ohio State or Penn State in the Big Ten title game- there is no way the committee leaves them out then.

Next: Projected College Football Playoff Top 25 for Week 10

Do not be surprised to see the Badgers rank anywhere from No. 5 to No. 11 in Tuesday’s rankings, but remember, it’s all for show right now.

Win and you’re in. Simple as that.

Home/Wisconsin Badgers