Wisconsin Football on the Verge of Entering Top 25 Poll

The Wisconsin Badgers football team continues to move back towards entering the AP Top 25. With their 24-13 victory over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, the Badgers are 4-1 and on the rise.

After losing to Washington State in Week 2, the Badgers dropped out of the polls but continued to receive some votes, keeping them on the outskirts of the top 25. Now, they look poised to re-enter the rankings. The only thing standing in their way is the Iowa Hawkeyes and a former member of the Wisconsin football team.

But before we get into next week’s matchup with Iowa, let’s take a look at where the Badgers landed in the Week 7 ballots.

The Wisconsin Football Team Continues Its Rise Toward the Top 25

Last week, the Wisconsin football team earned a total of 6 points from three voters, placing them at 32nd in the rankings.

This week, while still technically unranked, the Badgers climbed up to 28th in a tie with Air Force. Both programs received 41 points in the voting, according to CollegePollTracker.

The Badgers appeared on the ballots of 15 voters. The highest they appeared on a ballot was at No. 21 by David Jablonski from the Dayton Daily News. Three voters had the Badgers at No. 22. Three more had them at No. 23, including Wisconsin beat reporter, Colton Bartholomew.

A bulk of the votes the Badgers received were at the No. 24 spot, appearing in seven of the voters’ ballots. Then one reporter put them at No. 25.

A win over Iowa, who is also unranked but received votes, would put the Wisconsin Badgers football team in a really strong position to get back into the top 25 in next week’s poll.

Where Other Big Ten Teams Landed in the AP Poll

Let’s take a look at where Big Ten teams other than Wisconsin football landed in the Week 7 AP Poll and a little breakdown for each team.

Michigan – No. 2: The Wolverines continue to hang on to the No. 2 spot. They received 11 first-place votes, which helped keep them just above Ohio State. The lowest they appeared on a ballot was No. 7. They will face off with Indiana next week.

Ohio State – No. 3: The Buckeyes pulled out a big win over Maryland last week after a slow start. Apparently, it was enough to move up the polls from No. 4 last week. They received one first-place vote. The lowest they appeared was also No. 7. They will take on Purdue next week in West Lafayette.

Penn State – No. 6: The Nittany Lions had a bye this week and stayed at No. 6, being leapfrogged by Oklahoma after their big win over Texas. They are just five points behind the Sooners for that No. 5 spot. The highest they appeared on a ballot was No. 3 by three voters and the lowest was No. 9. They will face Massachusettes next week.

Wisconsin  – UR: The Wisconsin football team comes in at No. 34 but received a vote as high as No. 21. They will take on Iowa next week in a big divisional matchup.

Maryland – UR: Maryland suffered its first loss of the season to Ohio State last week. They earned nine points, putting them at No. 33. They appeared as high as No. 23 on a ballot. They will take on Illinois next week.

Iowa – UR: Iowa hopped back into the ‘receiving votes’ category this week. They are right behind Maryland with seven points, putting them in a tie with James Madison at No. 34. Iowa will play Wisconsin next week at Camp Randall.

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