Wisconsin vaults up latest ESPN SP+ power rankings after win over Northwestern

Wisconsin took another significant jump in ESPN SP+ after its 23-3 win over Northwestern on Saturday.

The victory improved the Badgers to 5-2 on the season and 3-1 in Big Ten play. It also pushed the team up from No. 32 (No. 64 on offense, No. 16 on defense) in ESPN SP+ to No. 20 (12.0 overall rating — No. 63 on offense, No. 11 on defense).

Related: ESPN FPI updates Wisconsin football win chances for remaining 2024 schedule after win over Northwestern

The Badgers are now the metric’s 5th-highest-ranked Big Ten team, behind only Ohio State at No. 1 (29.1), Oregon at No. 5 (24.6), Penn State at No. 6 (24.4) and Indiana at No. 12 (18.8). SP+’s latest update sees the Badgers inch toward the tier of the elite teams of the conference.

Wisconsin moves forward to a primetime matchup with Penn State, a game that may define each team’s season. For the Badgers, it is a chance for a program-defining upset at home in front of a national audience. The Luke Fickell era would benefit greatly from a statement performance and a true announcement of arrival.

For Penn State, it’s close to a must-win with a showdown against Ohio State on the horizon.

SP+ RANKINGS AFTER 8 WEEKS

* Everybody stinks (except Indiana, Army and Navy)!
* No. 1 has changed 5x in 6 weeks
* Hello there, Hokies
* We could get SUCH a weird bracket, and I am so very much here for ithttps://t.co/W3SoVsFaXM

— Bill Connelly (@ESPN_BillC) October 20, 2024

The Badgers remaining games after Penn State are against SP+’s No. 23 team Iowa (11.4), No. 5 Oregon (24.6), No. 32 Nebraska (9.6) and No. 42 Minnesota (7.3).

Wisconsin’s combined margin of 117-16 over its three-game win streak over Purdue, Rutgers and Northwestern signals clear improvement from Fickell’s team and program. Its improved SP+ ranking reflects that.

The Badgers now have a chance to take an even further step with wins over Penn State or Oregon. They could factor into what will be a down-to-the-wire Big Ten race.

For what it’s worth, ESPN’s Bill Connelly…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/wisconsin-vaults-latest-espn-sp-113800733.html

Author : Badgers Wire

Publish date : 2024-10-21 11:38:00

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