Wisconsin Football Snubbed From AP Top 25

The vibes after the Badgers' upset victory over No. 13 13 Penn State on Saturday couldn't be higher. Well, almost. Climbing back into the AP Top 25 for the first time since Week 2 of the 2023 season, the first season in the Luke Fickell era.

After the thrilling comeback win over the Nittany Lions in Happy Valley, there was some optimism that the Badgers could find their way among the ranked teams by Week 5.

The Badgers are going to have to wait another week for a shot at cracking the rankings.

The Badgers sit just outside the Week 5 Top 25 rankings

Wisconsin football fans — Sep 26, 2026; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Wisconsin Badgers fans cheer. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The AP released its weekly poll on Sunday, and the Badgers remain unranked. Up to this week, Wisconsin had not received any votes from any voters this season. Now, even though they aren't in the top 25, they are extremely close.

This week, the Badgers are at the top of the list of the 'received votes' section of teams.

Wisconsin received 102 points from AP voters, just 16 points behind Missouri for the No. 25 spot.

Here's the breakdown of how the AP voters voted.

David Jablonski, a voter from the Dayton Daily News, ranked Wisconsin highest among voters, putting the Badgers at No. 18. After that, four voters ranked them 19th, and 20 more voters ranked them from 20 to 25.

43 voters had Wisconsin unranked.

All #APTop25 week 5 ballots! pic.twitter.com/6sMfdyqeLg
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) September 27, 2026

The Badgers will have a great opportunity to move into the rankings next week, hosting Michigan State at home. The Spartans are coming off a 31-13 home loss to Nebraska in East Lansing last week.

A win over the Spartans paired with potential losses from teams in the top 25 would give the Badgers an opportunity to be a ranked team again for the first time in three years.

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