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Wisconsin Football: Preseason AP Top 25 Includes Wisconsin

By Christian Borman

MADISON, WISCONSIN - SEPTEMBER 21: Jack Coan #17 of the Wisconsin Badgers celebrates a touchdown during the second half of a game against the Michigan Wolverines at Camp Randall Stadium on September 21, 2019 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MADISON, WISCONSIN - SEPTEMBER 21: Jack Coan #17 of the Wisconsin Badgers celebrates a touchdown during the second half of a game against the Michigan Wolverines at Camp Randall Stadium on September 21, 2019 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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Wisconsin football makes an appearance in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 poll.

Even though there will be no Wisconsin football this fall, that doesn’t mean the Badgers’ 2020 team isn’t being recognized. Players like Cole Van Lanen and other Badgers are still making watch lists for prestigious awards. Along with individual awards, the Badgers as a team are also being recognized. The AP released its Preseason Top 25 poll and it includes teams from the Big Ten and PAC-12, even though they aren’t playing this fall.

Wisconsin football comes in at 12, the third-highest Big Ten team, behind just Ohio St (2nd) and Penn St (7th). Other Big Ten teams include Michigan (16th), Minnesota (19th), and Iowa (24th).

The 12th spot for Wisconsin is one that is widely agreed across the internet. The coaches poll that came out earlier had the Badgers at 12 as well. Sporting News had the Badgers at 14, 247Sports had them at 10, and Bleacher Report had them at 14. All-in-all, many thought this was the range the Badgers would be in.

You may be asking yourself why the Badgers and other Big Ten teams are even included in the polls, considering they won’t be playing this fall. Will the AP and other polls continue to rank teams that aren’t playing this season? No, they won’t. According to Michael Giarrusso, AP’s global sports editor, it wouldn’t make sense to rank teams that aren’t playing.

Giarrusso explains why these teams appear in the preseason poll. “This year, we think it is crucial to give all the teams and all their fans a snapshot look at what the Top 25 would have been to open the season.”

If you would like to read more about how the polls will work this season, you can click here.

Even though we can’t watch Wisconsin football this fall, it’s nice to have a little glimpse at where the Badgers would have started the season in a normal year.