The Wisconsin football and the Big Ten regular season has concluded. This Saturday, Iowa and Michigan will battle for the Big Ten Championship in Indianapolis. The Wolverines start the week as three touchdown favorites.
Wisconsin football their season strong by winning their final two games against Nebraska and Minnesota. Despite the 5-7 record, the Golden Gophers were rewarded with a bowl game, the only 5-7 team to get one. Now that the regular season is over, here are my final Big Ten rankings and where I rank Wisconsin football.
Final Big Ten Power Rankings
- Michigan
- Ohio State
- Penn State
- Iowa
- Wisconsin
- Northwestern
- Maryland
- Rutgers
- Nebraska
- Purdue
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Michigan State
- Indiana
Why Wisconsin Football at 5?
I liked the way Wisconsin football ended their season. They could have folded after the 24-10 home loss to Northwestern. Instead, players like Tanner Mordecai and Hunter Wohler publicly challenged themselves and their teammates to see who wanted to be there. It’s clear the Badgers answered the call and will be in a decent bowl game.
The only decision I had to make was whether to rank Northwestern ahead of the Badgers. While the Wildcats beat the Badgers pretty bad in Madison just a few weeks ago, this current Wisconsin football team would beat Northwestern in my opinion. Credit to the Wildcats for winning seven games, but the schedule wasn’t as hard as Wisconsin’s was.
Other Takeaways
The top four teams have been pretty consistent for about a month now. The two surprising teams was the downfall of Maryland and the rise of Northwestern. Up until November, I though Northwestern was one of the worst teams in the Big Ten and in the country. They ended their season on an excellent note.
On the other hand, Maryland began the year 5-0. They will be in a bowl game, but it was an awful end to a season that started out so well. We will see what the Terrapins looks like next season.
I have Minnesota ranked at 12 and I think that’s a fair ranking. They lost their final four games of the season and was carved up on the defensive side. The offense returned a ton of senior pass catchers, but they did next to nothing besides Daniel Jackson, who had a really nice year. They are very fortunate to have been selected for a bowl game. With a new Big Ten beginning next year, it could be the beginning of a rebuild for the Golden Gophers.
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