The Wisconsin Badgers football program has some high hopes going into 2023. After hiring Luke Fickell and remaking the entire roster, there is optimism that the Badgers could be major players in the Big Ten this year. ESPN released its Football Power Index (FPI) rankings today and Wisconsin debuted in the top 25.
College Football preseason Top 25 per @ESPN FPI👀https://t.co/zOB4UOTdwE pic.twitter.com/QKbrReizrM
— On3 (@On3sports) April 18, 2023
Wisconsin Badgers Crack Top 25 In FPI Rankings
What is FPI? It is ESPNs way of projecting how teams will do throughout the season. Here is their official explanation of it.
“FPI is our season-long ratings and projections system. In the preseason it relies on past performance on offense and defense, returning and transfer production and past recruiting data for players on the roster to form a rating. We then use those ratings to simulate the season 20,000 times, resulting in our projections.”
The Badgers come in ranked at number 20 in all of college football. That is quite a turnaround as when last season ended, they looked to be nowhere near competing for anything. Now, they look to play spoiler in a conference that has many teams looking to capture the national championship.
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Other Big Ten Teams
Three Big Ten teams are in the top ten of the FPI rankings. Ohio State is first in the rankings meaning ESPN gives them the best chance to capture the national title. Michigan comes in at six and Penn State at ten. Critically, all of these teams are in the Big Ten East which means only one of them can play in the Big Ten Championship. Wisconsin seems to have the inside track in the Big Ten West as no other teams crack the top 25 of these rankings.
The season is closer than people might think. Spring ball has started and the Wisconsin Badgers are already making headlines. If Fickell and his staff can get all of these new parts to work right away, watch out for the Badgers in the fall.
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