College Football Playoff Rankings 2019: Projected Top 25, Week 11

A lot of the Big Ten is taking a break in Week 10, and Wisconsin is no exception. After the disappointment of back-to-back losses at Illinois and at Ohio State, Paul Chryst’s team needed an idle weekend to recalibrate and refocus their efforts heading into the final month of the regular season.

Jonathan Taylor topped the 1000-yard mark for the season in the loss against the Buckeyes, but he has been nowhere near the dominant force that helped propel the Badgers up the polls the past few years. The junior is averaging nearly one fewer yard per carry than he did as a freshman and 1.4 fewer yards per carry than he did last year. Rectifying the issues with the ground game will be paramount for Wisconsin to achieve success in November.

They have a prime opportunity to rewrite their narrative in a Week 11 test at home against Iowa. The Hawkeyes offer a great opportunity for Wisconsin’s defense to rebuild their confidence, and Nebraska and Purdue shouldn’t pose too much of a threat to the Badgers. But they can’t get caught looking ahead to the November 30 showdown in Minneapolis against rival Minnesota in the Battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe.