Wisconsin and the College Football Playoff haven’t exactly been regular companions.
That’s what makes a fresh bit of national optimism around the Badgers stand out. After three seasons under Luke Fickell, Wisconsin has not come close to generating real CFP buzz, let alone earning a place in the field. The program has been to just one bowl game in that span, falling to LSU in the ReliaQuest Bowl after the 2023 season.
The CFP poll history tells the same story. Wisconsin hasn’t appeared in the poll since 2021, when it reached as high as No. 14 at one point during the season.
The last time the Badgers finished in the CFP poll was 2019, when they lost to Oregon in the Rose Bowl and ended up No. 8.
So when Manny Navarro of The Athletic included Wisconsin in a College Football Playoff predictions piece, it was a notable nod. Navarro put the Badgers on his list of preseason-unranked teams he expects to show up in the final CFP poll.
That kind of leap would require a serious step forward. A nine-win season in the Big Ten usually keeps a team in the playoff conversation deep into the year, even if three losses probably leaves it short of the actual bracket. Still, a 9-3 finish in 2026 would be a major turn after how rough the last two seasons have been in Madison.
Navarro didn’t spell out a full path for Wisconsin to get there, but he did pick the Badgers to beat Penn State on the road in Happy Valley on Sept. 26. He specifically has Wisconsin rallying from a halftime deficit to pull it off.
If Wisconsin opens with a loss to Notre Dame, where it is a 21-point underdog, the margin for error gets tight fast. The Badgers could only afford two more losses on the way to 9-3. With a win at Penn State, though, they could still lose to USC and Iowa and finish with nine wins if they handle everything else.
Nine wins still feels ambitious for this version of Wisconsin. But it’s not impossible, and at least one national analyst is willing to say the Badgers belong in that conversation.
In Other News...
Greg Gard Has Wisconsin Chasing A Recruiting Haul Fans Rarely See
Wisconsins 2027 basketball recruiting class is already drawing attention in a way that is unusual for this program, with 24/7 Sports ranking it as high as third nationally. The group is built around three four-star prospects in Jalen Brown, Baboucarr Ann and Jack Thelan, giving Greg Gard a class that looks more like the kind of haul fans associate with the sports perennial heavyweights than with the Badgers typical approach.
Thelans rise has helped fuel the buzz, since he began the summer unranked before playing his way into four-star status. Other services have the class a bit lower, including Rivals and On3, but even with those differences the overall view is clear: Wisconsin has put together a recruiting group that stands out for both quality and depth, and it could signal a different kind of momentum on the trail if Gard can keep it together. [Read more 🡒]
Former Badger Darryl Peterson III Just Forced His Way Back Into Focus
Darryl Peterson III was not exactly on the radar entering the Rams final preseason game, but he made sure he was impossible to ignore by the end of it. The former Badger piled up five tackles and two sacks, then capped the night with a strip sack that helped seal the win, the kind of finishing play that tends to stick with coaches when roster decisions are looming.
For Peterson, the timing could hardly be better. He was not projected to land on Los Angeles 53-man roster before the game, but a performance like this at least gives him a real chance to change that conversation, whether with the Rams or somewhere else around the league. At minimum, he turned one preseason outing into a fresh argument for why his name should stay in the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Vinny Anthony II Suddenly Has A Falcons Roster Question
Vinny Anthony II looked like the sort of player who could make a late preseason push feel real, especially after flashing in a game and adding value on special teams. For a receiver on the roster bubble, those are the kinds of details that can separate a camp body from someone who sticks when cutdown day arrives.
Then came a notable omission from Falcons offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, who highlighted several receivers for their strong camp work but did not mention Anthony. It does not settle anything by itself, but it does add another layer to a roster picture that is still taking shape, and it leaves Anthony waiting to see whether his preseason momentum is enough to carry him onto the final 53-man roster. [Read more 🡒]