Big Ten Football: Picking the best season for each program since 2000

Wisconsin is a team with many successful years this century. A solid program on the cusp of elite but has never been able to break through. With the most wins in school history, the 2017 team was the Badgers’ best.

The Badgers came off a 2016 Cotton Bowl winning season and were heavy favorites to repeat as Big Ten West champions. Outstanding freshman running back Jonathan Taylor would power the Badgers on offense and the defense would be suffocating, ranking third in the country in 13.8 points per game allowed.

Wisconsin would go undefeated in the regular season. The non conference schedule included wins over Utah State, Florida Atlantic and BYU. The conference slate was highlighted with wins over 25th ranked Iowa, 19th ranked Michigan and a 31-0 shutout of Minnesota, extending the Badgers streak in the rivalry game to 14 straight.

The Badgers were sitting at No. 3 in the College Football Playoff rankings with only a victory in the Big Ten Championship game against Ohio State sitting between them and the playoff. The Badgers kept it close but ultimately fell to the Buckeyes 27-21. Even with a close loss, Wisconsin fell out of the playoff and had to settle for an Orange Bowl invite versus Miami.

In the Orange Bowl, quarterback Alex Hornibrook had his best game of the season, throwing for 258 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions. The Badgers would beat the Hurricanes 34-24, capping off the 13-win season.

In Wisconsin’s 13 wins, their average margin of victory was by nearly 22 points. Taylor finished the season with 1,977 rushing yards, leading the Big Ten and good for third in the FBS. He would be named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and go on to have a fantastic collegiate career.