Big fall for Wisconsin Badgers football
The Wisconsin Badgers were ranked number eight in the fourth week of this year’s college football season. They are now 1-5 in conference and bottom of the Big Ten teams. That’s one of the biggest drops I’ve seen on almost any team. It compares to the Michigan Wolverines who fell out of the rankings last year after losing to Appalachian State. Michigan ranked fifth in the preseason. Both are notable drops. Most projections had Wisconsin second on the right behind Ohio State for the final Big Ten rankings at the end of the year.
The Badgers still have games in Indiana and against a good opponent, Minnesota. They also play Cal Poly, but that should be an easy win. The Badgers are unlikely to qualify for a bowl game unless they win and some strange bowl committee feels sorry for them.
Wisconsin has had a good football program for the past several years and has generally been in the top 5 teams in the conference. To the Badgers’ credit, they have had many close losses to good teams this year. They were beaten by a narrow margin by a measly two points against Michigan. They came very close to an Ohio State upset 20-17. They tried but failed against Michigan State with the score 25-24. They were beaten by a late field goal. Oh!
They even beat a ranked Fresno State and an Illinois team that can always catch fire with Juice Williams at quarterback. They are 4-5 in overall wins. For them to end a winning season, it just won’t seem like a moral victory for Wisconsin fans.
They have a good QB engagement on Jon Budmayr next year. They also have some good future players in Defensive Tackle and Delaware joining their team next season. They could easily be redeemed next year.
Considering this is a rebuilding year for Wisconsin, they are doing an admirable job staying afloat. They have 54 freshmen and only 16 seniors. So they are a young team that will definitely improve, as they will probably lose almost no juniors in the NFL Draft. This is Allan Evridge’s final year, so a new quarterback will have to step up next year. It’s most likely Dustin Sherer as he will be in his senior year next year and they need some experience. This year is not a total loss as they have shown that they can remain competitive with the teams and maintain a decent overall record.