ESPN’s latest FPI release leaves Wisconsin in a familiar spot: not buried, not respected enough, and sitting squarely in the middle of a Big Ten pecking order that still doesn’t flatter the Badgers.
The number itself is 4.8, which puts Wisconsin at No. 11 in the conference and No. 43 nationally. By ESPN’s definition, FPI is “a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team's performance going forward for the rest of the season,” and it’s expressed as how many points above or below average a team is. In practice, though, that raw figure is more of a label than something you can hold in your hands.
What matters more is the message behind it. ESPN’s computer sees Wisconsin as a third- or fourth-tier Big Ten team, but still comfortably ahead of the conference’s bottom group, the teams clustered in the 60s nationally. In other words, the Badgers are being slotted as the last mediocre team in the league - not a disaster, but not a group anyone is eager to bet on either.
That’s a step up from where Wisconsin finished last season. The Badgers ended with an FPI of 2.5 and landed No. 12 in the Big Ten, so this preseason outlook does at least show some movement in the right direction.
Still, the broader picture remains lukewarm. Another offseason, another modest projection for Wisconsin’s place in the league.
There’s also reason to think the Badgers could come in a little higher than ESPN’s current slot. One to three spots up feels reasonable, and 11th in the conference looks like the floor. Nebraska and Illinois, in particular, appear to be getting a bit too much credit after recent resurgences.
In Other News...
Ranking Wisconsin Footballs Rare 5-Star Recruits From Best To Worst
Wisconsin football has had only five consensus 5-star recruits in the 24/7 Sports era, which makes the list a pretty exclusive one for Badgers fans to revisit. A ranking of those players naturally starts with the obvious headliners, led by Anttaj Hawthorne at the top and Josh Oglesby not far behind, with Oglesby carving out a strong Wisconsin career as a starter, an All-Big Ten first-team selection in 2011 and a key part of two Rose Bowl offensive lines.
The rest of the group is a reminder that elite recruiting rankings do not always translate cleanly in Madison, especially when injuries or roster changes intervene. Justin Ostrowskis career was cut short after doctors advised him to stop playing, while Logan Brown and Nolan Rucci both moved on after limited run at Wisconsin, taking paths that sent them elsewhere before their football journeys continued in different directions. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsins New AD Just Set The Standard For Year One
Shawn Eichorsts first public remarks as Wisconsins new athletic director sounded less like a victory lap and more like a reset. Introduced to the Badgers community, Eichorst said the job starts with relationships, both inside the athletics department and across the university, and with getting a real feel for where things stand before trying to push them forward.
Eichorst also made it clear that the modern pressures around college sports are already on his agenda, especially NIL competitiveness and the direction of the football program under Luke Fickell. For Wisconsin, the early read on its new AD is straightforward: he is setting a standard built on patience, connection and a willingness to assess before he acts, even as the biggest questions around the program are waiting just ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Faces Familiar Pressure As Another Badgers Reset Raises Real Doubts
Wisconsins latest offseason reset has left the roster looking familiar in one way and very different in another, with another wave of departures forcing the Badgers to rebuild around a new mix of transfers and holdovers. The exits of Nick Boyd, Andrew Rohde, Braeden Carrington, John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas stripped away not just production, but pieces that fit the way Wisconsin wants to play, leaving the staff to patch together perimeter scoring and defense through the portal.
Eian Elmer and Trey Autry are among the newcomers brought in to help address those needs, and there is still cautious optimism around the groups upside. Even so, the bigger concern is one Wisconsin has seen before: what happens when the three-point shot goes quiet. Analysts are already flagging that as a real pressure point, especially after last seasons tournament run showed how hard it can be for the Badgers to manufacture offense when the outside touch disappears. [Read more 🡒]