It's been a stellar start to the year for the Wisconsin Badgers football team, with a 5-2 record following a massive 24-7 beatdown of the USC Trojans on a national stage last weekend. But this is only the start of what they're hoping to achieve after posting a disappointing 2-7 record in conference play a year ago, and they have a long way to go before shifting the national narrative.
That sentiment was shared by former UW-Madison football coach and athletic director Barry Alvarez, who made the following comments about the Badgers being ranked in the latest AP Poll during a recent edition of his show on ESPN Madison Radio:
"It shows respect for what you've accomplished, and so it is important. Does it mean anything? Not really, but it means something to the people that are playing, that are putting in the effort in to get to that position, and they're not satisfied. They're not satisfied being Rank 25, and that's perfect. I love it."
Alvarez, a beloved yet sometimes polarizing figure within the UW-Madison sports community, always speaks from the heart, and with a level of insight you could only get from a legend like himself. If he thinks they're not satisfied being ranked the 25th-best team in the country, it's almost a sure bet to be true. So despite their ranking, it's hard to imagine the Badgers are going to celebrate this latest success for too long, even though the fans should take a moment to enjoy it themselves.
The UW-Badgers are finally ranked again, but what is it going to take for Wisconsin to stay ranked down the stretch of the season?
This is the first time in more than three years that the Badgers football program was ranked Top 25 in the AP poll. After a harsh opening-week loss to No. 5 Notre Dame, Wisconsin won five of its last six games, including three wins by a margin of 20+ points, for a 3-1 record in Big Ten play. They're tied with Minnesota for the fourth-best overall record in the conference, and are in a three-way tie with Minnesota and Northwestern for the fourth-best record in Conference Play.
This is a team that's executed well in the details of the game, with standouts throughout the defense and special teams to anchor their success. They rank 13th in the country in opponent points per game, ceding an average of only 15.3 points per game, which is only inflated by the Notre Dame loss.
Quarterback Colton Joseph has been solid in his role, with 1,256 passing yards and 11 touchdowns to 11 interceptions, with a 57.2 completion rate. His ability to extend plays with his legs has been huge for the Badgers, averaging 52.1 rushing yards per game with four scores on the ground as well.
If they can maintain this level of play through the rest of the season, the Badgers are in line to make some serious noise. None of their next five opponents (Iowa, Rutgers, Maryland, Purdue, Minnesota) are currently ranked, although three of those five games are on the road.
There's a real chance for head coach Luke Fickell to turn this program around after a lackluster start to his tenure as head coach at UW-Madison, but that's only possible if his team maintains a level of composure, intensity, and execution that Badgers fans have dreamed of for years up to this point.
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