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Wisconsin Football: Badgers no. 21 in first CFP rankings

By Christian Borman

Oct 30, 2021; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers mascot Bucky Badger waves the Wisconsin flag prior to the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 30, 2021; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers mascot Bucky Badger waves the Wisconsin flag prior to the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /
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The first College Football Playoff rankings of the season have been released and the Wisconsin football team made an appearance. After not making it into the top 25 of the AP Poll, the Badgers landed at no. 21 in the first CFP rankings.

After the Badgers didn’t make the AP top 25, I had no expectations that the Wisconsin football team would appear on CFP rankings, but apparently, the CFP committee is relatively high on the Badgers. Wisconsin and Mississippi St. (no. 17) are the only two teams in the top 25 with three losses.

The Badgers’ three losses have all come to ranked opponents. Two of those three opponents are ranked in the CFP rankings. Notre Dame (no. 10) and Michigan (no. 7) are both in the top 10 of the rankings. Penn State, who recently lost to Illinois and now Ohio State, are absent from the rankings, despite being ranked 22nd in the AP Poll.

There Badgers are just one of six teams in the College Football Playoff rankings. Michigan State is coming off of a big victory over Michigan and sits at no. 3, which would put them into the playoff if the season ended today.

Ohio State looms just outside the top four at no. 5. Michigan, despite suffering their first loss of the season, sits at no. 7.

Then, the next Big Ten team doesn’t appear until no. 20, where Minnesota sits with a 5-2 record. Wisconsin is no. 21 and then Iowa, who was as high as no. 2 in the AP Poll this season, sits at no. 22 after losing two straight games to Purdue and Wisconsin.

The Badgers surely won’t make the final four with three losses, but they can rise up the rankings if they win their final four games, which includes a date with Minnesota in the final game of the regular season. That game could end up being a pseudo-Big Ten West Championship game. Whoever wins, wins the division and moves onto Indianapolis to face the Big Ten East champ. That is, assuming both teams continue to win their next three upcoming games.

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The Wisconsin football team is surging right now. If they had not stumbled coming out of the gate, I think this would be a top-10 team. They can still get there, in my opinion, but they will need to continue winning, and winning convincingly.