Wisconsin Football Disrespected in Major Preseason Ranking

Everyone around the Wisconsin football program is aware of the travesty of a season that unfolded in 2025.

But most around the program are also encouraged for the future, with a renewed investment in football from the school that led to exciting coaching hires and a promising transfer portal class.

Still, it's clear that the Badgers' national perception is still in the gutter. Need proof? Look no further than Bill Connelly's initial SP+ rankings for the 2026 season.

Wisconsin checks in at No. 61 nationally in the initial rankings, good for a measly 15th in the Big Ten.

Big Ten Teams in Initial SP+ Rankings

Program (National SP+ Ranking)
Ohio State (1)
Oregon (2)
Indiana (5)
USC (13)
Michigan (14)
Penn State (17)
Washington (21)
Iowa (22)
Illinois (33)
Nebraska (37)
Minnesota (45)
UCLA (46)
Northwestern (49)
Maryland (55)
Wisconsin (61)
Rutgers (62)
Michigan State (67)
Purdue (82)

According to Connelly, SP+ rankings are a predictive metric calculated using four primary factors, including returning production, recent history, recent recruiting and coaching change effects. They're meant to be a comprehensive power ranking.

After a abhorrent 4-8 campaign in which many of the Badgers' losses were completely non-competitive, it's fair for the national media — and their in-house ranking systems — to harbor low expectations for Wisconsin.

It also tracks that the Badgers are far from the national radar while eight other Big Ten teams populate the SP+ Top 25. Still, when you look at how these rankings position Wisconsin in its own conference, there's some eye-raising teams ahead of it.

Connelly is higher on Maryland, Northwestern, UCLA, among others

Maryland got off to a nice start last fall, including a dominant win over the Badgers in Camp Randall Stadium. But the Terps proceeded to finish with a worse record in the Big Ten and dropped their final eight games.

UCLA finished with three Big Ten wins to Wisconsin's two, but it also went 3-9 on the year and lost its final five games.

Again, SP+ isn't a resume-based metric. Still, it's pretty rich that teams like Maryland, UCLA, and even Northwestern, Minnesota and Nebraska are all ranked significantly higher than the Badgers. Wisconsin was only a game or two worse than these teams in the regular season, and are now faced with a significantly easier schedule and a clear upgrade at quarterback.

With all due respect to ESPN's self-proclaimed "professional nerd" Bill Connelly, Vegas' early win totals appear to paint a more accurate picture of where the Badgers should be positioned within the Big Ten.