Skip to main content
All Badgers

Wisconsin men's hockey climbs to No. 1 with best start in 26 years

Wisconsin Badgers men's hockey is undefeated through October and atop the polls for only the second time in two decades
Kedrick Stumbris|
Wisconsin forward JJ Wiebusch (86) chases a puck along the boards against Robert Morris in their game Friday, October 2, 2026, at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin.
Wisconsin forward JJ Wiebusch (86) chases a puck along the boards against Robert Morris in their game Friday, October 2, 2026, at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

With a dominant sweep of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and a loss by a different Big Ten conference title contender, Wisconsin Badgers men's hockey rose one spot in the national polls—ascending to the very top.

Blowout victories by the score of 7-1 and 9-1 lifted Wisconsin (6-0-0, 2-0-0 Big Ten) to an undefeated start in conference play and continued its unblemished run to begin the season. After entering the week ranked behind only the preseason favorite in the Big Ten, UW capitalized while the Michigan Wolverines stumbled in their conference-opening series.

Wisconsin Badgers men's hockey ranked No.1 in polls

While the Badgers took care of business at home, the Wolverines stumbled on the road in Columbus, Ohio. Against the rival Ohio State Buckeyes, Michigan faltered as Ohio State earned a 5-2 victory on Saturday. The Wolverines managed a victory on Sunday evening to avoid the sweep, but they required overtime in a back-and-forth affair featuring four lead changes.

As a result, Wisconsin overtook Michigan for the top spot as the Wolverines held onto second in this week's polls. The Badgers are far from a unanimous No. 1, claiming 37 of the 50 first-place votes in the USCHO poll and appearing on top of 29 of the 24 ballots cast in the USA Hockey poll.

This week's poll is the first in which the Badgers have been featured in the top spot since November 13, 2023—the only other time Wisconsin has reached No. 1 since winning its last national title in 2006. That stint atop the polls in 2023 only lasted one week. After the polls released on Monday, the Badgers lost a pair of games at Michigan State that weekend.

UW earned the No. 1 ranking by racing out to its best start in a quarter century. Its 6-0-0 record matches its best mark to begin a season since the 2000-01 campaign.

While Wisconsin enjoys the top ranking in human polls, the NCAA Percentage Index (NPI) used to select and seed teams into the NCAA Tournament tells a slightly different story. If the tournament were to begin today, Michigan would be the field's top seed thanks, in large part, due to it's national-best Quality Win Bonus after a sweep on the road of the reigning national champion Denver Pioneers and a home-win over the Western Michigan Broncos. UW currently sits third in the NPI with no Quality Win Bonus and a strength of schedule that ranks in the bottom ten nationally.

Wisconsin will attempt to keep hold of its position atop the polls this weekend as it visits the No. 18 Minnesota Golden Gophers for a two-game series in Minneapolis. The puck drops in the series opener on Thursday, November 5th at 7:00 p.m. CST for a contest televised on Big Ten Network. The border rivals finish the weekend on Saturday evening beginning at 7:00 p.m. on B1G+.

Add us as a preferred source on Google
Published
Kedrick Stumbris
KEDRICK STUMBRIS

Kedrick Stumbris has covered the Wisconsin Badgers since 2022 with a focus on the Badgers football, men's basketball, and women's hockey programs. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science.

Share on XFollow KedrickStumbris
Home/Hockey