Wisconsin Badgers Ranked 61st, 15th in Big Ten

0:00On March 30th, Wisconsin's football team had a rough 2025 season, going 4 and 8 with some blowout losses that tanked their rep. Now heading into 2026, Bill Connelly's early SP Plus rankings put the badgers at number 61 nationally, which lands them 15th in the Big 10. That's behind heavy hitters like Ohio State at number 1, Oregon at 2, and even Indiana at 5. SP Plus is this predictive metric that weighs returning players, recent history, recruiting, coaching shifts to forecast team strength. For Wisconsin, last year's MESS means low expectations from national analysts, even with fresh coaching hires and a solid transfer class boosting, optimism around the program. Fans and insiders are scratching their heads over teams like Maryland at 55, Northwestern at 49, and UCLA at 46, ranking ahead. Those squads had similar or worse records last year. Even lost 8 straight, UCLA dropped 5 in a row, but SP Plus sees something more in there,

1:01setups. The badgers counter with an easier schedule and a clear quarterback upgrade, which could flip the script. Vegas odds makers seem to agree, setting higher wind totals that place was constant better in the conference mix. Still, these early rankings show how far the program has to climb to shake off that gutter perception and roar back in the Big 10.