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Wisconsin Football: ESPN Calls Badgers Playoff Contenders

By Tyler Hunt

Jan 2, 2017; Arlington, TX, USA; The Wisconsin Badgers take the field to face the Western Michigan Broncos in the 2017 Cotton Bowl game at AT&T Stadium. The Badgers defeat the Broncos 24-16. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 2, 2017; Arlington, TX, USA; The Wisconsin Badgers take the field to face the Western Michigan Broncos in the 2017 Cotton Bowl game at AT&T Stadium. The Badgers defeat the Broncos 24-16. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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ESPN’s College Football Analyst Kirk Herbstreit Calls the Badgers Legit Title Contenders

Just last week ESPN released the early version of the College Football Rankings for 2017. Wisconsin Football was one of four Big Ten Teams in the Top 15 as the Buckeyes sat at #1, Penn State at #5, the Badgers at #11, and Michigan rounded out at #14. While it may still be a little early, these numbers come after a successful spring season which gave us a better idea of what each team will be bringing in the fall. When Herbstreit started to discuss his post spring Final Four, he listed 8 teams as legit contenders, and later added the Badgers as #9.

Herbstreit’s logic is sensible here, as the Badgers will likely be favored in every game in a much more favorable schedule than a season ago. The toughest games are at home with Iowa and Michigan, and trips to Nebraska and BYU will be a good test for the Badgers. While the Badgers are happy to be contenders, they know that preseason talk doesn’t matter much when you take the field. They know that a lot of the times the talk before has to be backed up and is often unmatched when you take the field. The Badgers were spoilers of many preseason ideas a season ago, and don’t want to fall on the same sword this fall.

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That being said, Wisconsin does deserve to be in the conversation after the season they had a year ago. They have plenty to build on, and the experience that each player came with will be a strong card for Wisconsin all season. They have veteran players at almost every position, and are very deep at the core positions Wisconsin relies on. The offense looks like it could be better on all sides, but especially in the passing games with the development of Hornibrook and a familiarity now built with his recievers. The defense is deep and strong, and Leonard leading the unit wont make them skip a beat. The Badgers sit as a title contender now, but that means nothing until its proven on the field. If they’re able to do that, a battle in Indy could decide the Badgers fate once again.