Wisconsin Badgers as a bottom-tier Big Ten team? This major outlet thinks so

Slow starts against inferior opponents have national media faith in Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin Badgers wavering, despite starting 2-0.

Sep 6, 2025; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell looks on during the second half against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kayla Wolf-Imagn Images | Kayla Wolf-Imagn Images

The Wisconsin Badgers' first two games of the 2025 season featured plenty of highs and lows.

For significant portions of both contests, it was difficult to tell which team hailed from the Big Ten and which came from a non-power conference.

But, almost exclusively in the second half, Wisconsin showed flashes of what a revamped defense front and brand new offensive scheme could turn in to.

Flashes won't get the job done against this schedule, though.

So where do the Badgers stand within the Big Ten and the rest of the country?

CBS Sports paints a bleak picture of Wisconsin's current state.

In his weekly ranking of all 136 FBS team in the country, Chip Patterson moved Wisconsin up four spots to No. 52.

16 spots above the middle feels like an accurate representation of how the Badgers have performed so far, but it's a bit more startling when compared to the rest of the Big Ten.

He has just four Big Ten teams ranked below the Badgers: Maryland (56), Purdue (75), UCLA (78) and Northwestern (86).

That makes Wisconsin the fifth-worst team in the conference, far below the standard of football Madison has seen over the past few decades.

The Badgers aren't far off from being near the midpoint of the conference, though.

Rutgers and Michigan State are the two teams directly in front of the Badgers, both leapfrogging Wisconsin in the rankings after Week 2.

Iowa (45), Minnesota (43) and Washington (42) are also within reach.

Wisconsin's matchup with Alabama in Tuscaloosa provides an opportunity to shoot up the rankings with a competitive performance.

But if they get blown out of the water, they could tumble even further down the national and Big Ten ranks.

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