AP Poll Release: What it Means for the Wisconsin Badgers

The preseason AP Top 25 College Football Poll has officially dropped, and unsurprisingly, the Wisconsin Badgers will begin the 2026 season unranked.

After missing a bowl game in back-to-back seasons, the Wisconsin football team will need to stack some wins and show they are program on the rise to earn back the respect of the AP voters.

But even though the Badgers aren't in the top 25, or receive any votes for that matter, that doesn't mean there isn't an impact on them.

Wisconsin schedule to play just four Top 25 teams

Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell — Nov 22, 2025; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell talks to his team during the second half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kayla Wolf-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Just a season ago, a huge talking point with the Badgers was how stacked their schedule was.
This season, it feels like it couldn't be any more different. The schedule in 2026 is about as manageable as you can get, at least in terms of a conference slate.

If the quantity of wins is more important right now than quality wins, they didn't do themselves any favors by scheduling Notre Dame as a non-conference opponent, let alone to open the season. The Irish, who are widely considered national title contenders this season, will start the season as the No. 4 team in the country.

Led by Heisman hopeful QB CJ Carr, Notre Dame is going to be an extremely difficult matchup to open the season. But on the other hand, if (and huge if), the Badgers can shock the college football world and beat the Irish at Lambeau Field in Week 1, that would certainly open some eyes of AP voters and would likely, in my opinion, push the Badgers into the top 25 by Week 2.

Aside from the Irish, the Badgers will play just three other opponents who appear in the preseason top 25: No. 14 USC, No. 18 Penn State, and No. 22 Iowa.

Wisconsin opens conference play against Penn State in Week 4 when they travel to Happy Valley, giving them another test early in the schedule.

The Badgers will face the Trojans and Hawkeyes on back-to-back weekends, hosting USC on Oct. 24, then traveling to Iowa City to play their rivals on Halloween, which you would have to think would be a night game at Kinnick.

Minnesota is the only other team on their schedule that even received votes in the initial poll, with five.

The rankings will change as the season progresses, just as it always does, but from the start of the season, the rankings are just another data point showing how much more manageable the Badgers' schedule is this year.

Can the Badgers climb into the rankings?

Nov 22, 2025; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers linebacker Cooper Catalano (44) and Wisconsin Badgers safety Raphael Dunn (27) react to winning 27-10 against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kayla Wolf-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With the softer schedule and the addition to the program from the portal this offseason, there's no reason to think the Badgers can't find their way into the top 25 at some point in 2026.

The start against Notre Dame is tough, but a loss against the No. 4 team in the country isn't a dealbreaker, especially if the Badgers can keep the game close.

Then a pair of non-conference wins would put them at 2-1 heading to Penn State. The Nittany Lions are in a soft rebuild under new head coach Matt Campbell. While he had a lot of success at Iowa State, the Big Ten is a different animal, and he only had one offseason to begin rebuilding the program. The Badgers could potentially be catching Penn State at a good time. An upset on the road against the Nittany Lions would be massive for the Badgers getting into the top 25.

Getting USC at home is ideal for the Badgers, but the Trojans' schedule is a sneaky positive for Wisconsin too. They play Penn State on the road, then get a bye before they travel to Madison. But after the game with Wisconsin, USC will host Ohio State the next week, followed by a trip to Bloomington to take on Indiana the next week. A matchup with the Badgers could be a trap game for the Trojans.

If the Badgers can go 2-2 or even 1-3 against the ranked opponents on their schedule and take care of business outside of those four games, the Badgers could easily find their way into the top 25 before the end of the season.

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