Wisconsin's Title Hopes Are Slipping Away According to this Metric

Wisconsin isn't expected to win the title this year, but it's certainly a short term goal in the eyes of the staff, players and fans. One important metric does not bode well for those hopes however, for this year or even the next two or three.

The Blue-Chip Ratio is a method of determining title worthy teams. It was developed by Bud Elliot over a decade ago and it has yet to be wrong. It's simple, if your roster is not made up of at least 50% 4 and 5-star recruits, you will not win the title. And that's been true for every national champion since recruting stats started being tracked.

In 2024, 16 teams meet the criteria to win it all. Wisconsin unfortunately did not make the cut. In fact, they're pretty far off. Depending on the site, the Badgers are hovering around 36% or so of their roster made up of blue-chip recruits, well short of the 50% cutoff. And technically, although highly praised thus far, the 2025 class isn't helping. Of the 21 commits, only 5 are a 4-star recruit or above. Meaning next season the Badgers will fall even further from that magic 50% number.

It's not all gloom and doom, though. Molds are meant to be broken. Some team will eventually be the first to win a title without adhering to the Blue-Chip Ratio, who says it can't be Wisconsin?