Wisconsin Football makes a jump in the AP Top 25

Wisconsin Football has moved up in this week’s Associated Press rankings.

The Wisconsin football team was hit with a painful reality check a couple weeks ago after being upset by BYU at home, one of the more shocking losses in recent program history.

The Badgers looked surprisingly outmatched in pretty much every facet of the game against the Cougars, and many fans were rightfully terrified at the prospect of that poor play accompanying the team to Iowa City against the Hawkeyes. After all, a loss on Saturday night would have destroyed Wisconsin’s College Football Playoff hopes for good and quite possibly the Badgers’ chances at reaching the Big Ten Championship Game.

It was by no means easy, but Wisconsin came to Kinnick Stadium ready to play on both sides of the ball and ultimately pulled out a thrilling victory against the Hawkeyes on the shoulders of quarterback Alex Hornibrook as he led a game-winning drive in the final minutes.

This was a statement win for the Badgers, who defeated a tough opponent that enjoys one of the best home-field advantages in all of college football after hearing all week leading up to the game about how overrated they were to start the season from media and fans alike.

As a result, a jump in the AP Top 25 was certainly in order, and Wisconsin moved up three spots from No. 18 to No. 15.

In addition to Wisconsin, the same four Big Ten teams who held spots in last week’s AP rankings remain in this week’s version.

Ohio State remains at No. 4 after blowing out Tulane 49-6 in Urban Meyer’s first game back from suspension. Quarterback Dwayne Haskins has established himself as one of the top contenders to take home the Heisman Trophy this season, and he certainly looked the part against the Green Wave, going 21/24 passing with 304 yards and 5 touchdowns despite sitting for part of the second half. The Buckeyes will face off with Penn State on Saturday night in what should be the game of the week.

Speaking of the Nittany Lions, they climbed up one spot in the rankings for the second straight week, going from No. 10 to No. 9 following a 63-24 rout of Illinois in Champaign on Friday night. Penn State has looked dominant ever since the close call Week 1 against Appalachian State, having outscored its past three opponents 177-40. However, they will face their biggest test of the season against Ohio State in Happy Valley this weekend.

Michigan made a big leap in the rankings this week, going from No. 19 up to No. 14 after absolutely embarrassing Nebraska in Ann Arbor to a tune of 56-10. The Wolverines have rebounded nicely since losing a heartbreaker to Notre Dame in their first game of the season by blowing out their last three opponents. Another lopsided victory could be on the horizon, as Michigan will travel to Evanston this weekend to take on a struggling Northwestern squad.

Michigan State checks in three spots up from last week at No. 21. The Spartans earned a nice 35-21 victory on the road against a pesky Indiana team. They should be in store for a relatively easy victory this weekend against 1-3 Central Michigan in East Lansing.

Other Big Ten teams receiving votes were Iowa (31 votes) and Maryland (6). The Terps handed Minnesota its first loss of the season, a 42-13 beatdown for the Gophers.

Wisconsin also moved up three spots from No. 16 to No. 13 in the Amway Coaches Poll.

All stats courtesy of ESPN.com.