Wisconsin Football: Badgers fall in AP Top 25 Poll

The AP voters were not kind to Wisconsin Football this week, moving the Badgers down one spot in the Top 25.

Despite having a bye this week, Wisconsin Football has dropped in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll for the fourth time this season.

The Badgers had a bye this week, but nonetheless were moved down one spot from No. 15 to No. 16. The team that moved ahead of Wisconsin was Kentucky, who made big leap from No. 17 to No. 13 after a victory over South Carolina.

Wisconsin will have a great shot at moving back up a spot or two in next week’s rankings, as 0-4 Nebraska is making the the trip to Madison for an evening matchup with the Badgers under the lights of Camp Randall.

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 jumped up from No. 4 to No. 3, moving ahead of a Clemson team that nearly lost to Syracuse at home. The Buckeyes faced off with Penn State in Happy Valley in one of the most anticipated games of the season, and the matchup did not disappoint. Despite trailing for most of the game, Ohio State charged back in the fourth quarter and took down the Nittany Lions 27-26.

The thrilling contest was an instant classic, and if there were any doubts that the Buckeyes are one of the top threats to take home the national title, those should now be put to rest after they defeated a formidable Penn State squad in an incredibly hostile atmosphere. There’s a long way to go yet, but Ohio State is now on the fast track to appear in the College Football Playoff.

The Buckeyes will play Indiana at home this weekend.

After the heartbreaking loss to the Buckeyes, Penn State dropped out of the top 10, falling from No. 9 to No. 11. The Nittany Lions’ Playoff hopes are not dead, but they are on life support. One more loss will pretty much remove them from Playoff contention, and they still have challenging matchups with Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Michigan in the coming weeks. Penn State has a bye this week, and it couldn’t come at a better time. The Nittany Lions will have two weeks to prepare for another tough matchup with Michigan State in Happy Valley on October 13.

Michigan fell one spot from last week’s rankings, going from No. 14 to No. 15 after defeating Northwestern 20-17 in Evanston. It was by no means a pretty performance by the Wolverines, who at one point were down by 17 in the first half. That being said a win is a win, and Michigan has impressed in the way it has moved on from the Week 1 loss to Notre Dame. Next up for the Wolverines is a home game against Maryland on Saturday.

Michigan State inched up another spot from No. 21 to No. 20 after a relatively easy 31-20 win over Central Michigan. Spartan fans should be a bit concerned about their team’s performance in the fourth quarter, as the Chippewas managed to storm back from a 31-3 deficit in that period and make the final score a bit more respectable. Michigan State will look to keep the momentum going this weekend in East Lansing against Northwestern.

Iowa and Maryland did not make it into the Top 25, but both received votes in the poll. Both teams had byes this past week. The Hawkeyes will travel to the Twin Cities for a matchup with Minnesota on Saturday, while the Terrapins get to face off with Michigan in the Big House.

Another notable change in the rankings comes courtesy of the BYU Cougars, who dropped out of the Top 25 from their perch at No. 20 after getting absolutely waxed by Washington 35-7. That result will not do Wisconsin’s Playoff hopes any favors, as the Badgers’ loss to BYU in Week 3 could potentially keep the team from earning a berth down the line if the Cougars continue to struggle. Here’s to hoping BYU bounces back and crushes Utah State on Friday night.

Wisconsin did get some love in the Amway Coaches Poll, moving one spot up from No. 13 to No. 12.

All stats courtesy of ESPN.com.