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The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/jimbobbypaul on 2023-08-04 19:59:46.
Main hub thread with the full 131 rankings
Are we really surprised that Wisconsin ended up at 21, the legal drinking age? Wisconsin fans might be the best consumers of alcohol in NCAA football, which is really saying something given the competition. But focusing on the football aspect—it is amazing that Wisconsin ended up this high. When Barry Alvarez took over in 1990, the football program had won just 9 games in the previous 4 years, hadn’t finished the AP Top 25 since 1962, were over $2 million in debt, and just 30,000 fans showed up for their 1989 season finale in a 77,000 seat stadium. Now, they’re the 5th ranked team in the Big Ten on this list and can be considered “Offensive Line U”, with 15 offensive linemen drafted since 2011, including 5x Pro Bowl C Travis Frederick, 3x All-Pro OT Ryan Ramczyk, Pro Bowl C Tyler Biadasz, and 7 total 1st/2nd round selections. Oh, and they had a guy named Joe Thomas go 3rd overall in 2007. They have a strong claim for Running Back U as well with Ron Dayne, Jonathan Taylor, Melvin Gordon, Montee Ball, James White, Corey Clement, Anthony Davis, PJ Hill, John Clay, Brent Moss, Terrell Fletcher, and Braelon Allen.
Best Seasons and Highlights
1. 2017: 4. Wisconsin: 13-1 (48.253) 2. 1998: 4. Wisconsin: 11-1 (40.554) 3. 2011: 8. Wisconsin: 11-3 (37.188) 4. 2006: 9. Wisconsin: 12-1 (35.780) 5. 2010: 11. Wisconsin: 11-2 (35.720) 6. 2016: 7. Wisconsin: 11-3 (34.945) 7. 1993: 8. Wisconsin: 10-1-1 (34.037) 8. 1999: 9. Wisconsin: 10-2 (32.226) 9. 2014: 13. Wisconsin: 11-3 (30.058) 10. 2019: 12. Wisconsin: 10-4 (29.769) 11. 2021: 17. Wisconsin: 9-4 (22.062) 12. 2009: 18. Wisconsin: 10-3 (21.429) 13. 2005: 18. Wisconsin: 10-3 (20.002) 14. 2013: 23. Wisconsin: 9-4 (19.018) 15. 2015: 29. Wisconsin: 10-3 (18.074) 16. 2000: 21. Wisconsin: 9-4 (15.997) 17. 2004: 19. Wisconsin: 9-3 (15.538) 18. 2007: 29. Wisconsin: 9-4 (13.979) 19. 1994: 24. Wisconsin: 7-4-1 (12.286) 20. 1983: 32. Wisconsin: 7-4 (9.550) 21. 2012: 38. Wisconsin: 8-6 (9.519) 22. 1984: 34. Wisconsin: 7-4-1 (9.079) 23. 2002: 32. Wisconsin: 8-6 (8.578) 24. 1996: 33. Wisconsin: 8-5 (4.765) 25. 2020: 36. Wisconsin: 4-3 (4.719) 26. 2018: 41. Wisconsin: 8-5 (4.228) 27. 2003: 47. Wisconsin: 7-6 (3.341) 28. 1995: 46. Wisconsin: 4-5-2 (-1.080) 29. 2022: 54. Wisconsin: 7-6 (-1.407) 30. 1997: 50. Wisconsin: 8-5 (-2.122) 31. 2008: 55. Wisconsin: 7-6 (-5.755) 32. 1992: 53. Wisconsin: 5-6 (-8.260) 33. 1985: 53. Wisconsin: 5-6 (-12.759) 34. 2001: 68. Wisconsin: 5-7 (-14.575) 35. 1991: 68. Wisconsin: 5-6 (-19.981) 36. 1987: 84. Wisconsin: 3-8 (-31.589) 37. 1986: 86. Wisconsin: 3-9 (-34.001) 38. 1989: 89. Wisconsin: 2-9 (-41.672) 39. 1990: 97. Wisconsin: 1-10 (-46.166) 40. 1988: 97. Wisconsin: 1-10 (-53.314) Overall Score: 33364 (21st)
- 305-185-5 record
- 6 conference titles
- 18-11 bowl record
- 18 consensus All-Americans
- 146 NFL players drafted
Wisconsin has 13 10+ win seasons in the last 31 years (since 1993), and has a 266-113-4 record since then as well, essentially an average year of 9-4 over a 30 year period. Truly remarkable turnaround from Barry Alvarez, followed up by some very good years under Bret Bielema and Paul Chryst. In the early 2010’s, it didn’t matter how many games Wisconsin lost, them winning the Big Ten was inevitable, winning it 3 straight years from 2010-12, which includes the 8-6 season in 2012. Wisconsin’s been on a tear in bowl games recently, winning 8 of their last 9, including a win in last year’s game coached by new hire Luke Fickell. Consensus All-Americans include OL Cory Raymer (1994), OL Chris Mcintosh (1999), RB Ron Dayne (1999) who won the Heisman and is the NCAA’s all-time leading rusher if you count bowl stats, DB Jamar Fletcher (2000) who had 7 interceptions in 3 straight seasons, DL Erasmus James (2004) who won Big Ten Defensive POTY, OT Joe Thomas (2006) who won the Outland Trophy, RB Melvin Gordon (2014) who had the 2nd most rushing yards in a single season ever with 2587 (and 29 TD), OL Ryan Ramczyk (2016), OL Beau Benzschawel (2018), C Tyler Biadasz (2019) who won the Rimington Award, and RB Jonathan Taylor (2018, 2019) who is 6th in all-time rushing yards despite playing just 3 seasons. Top NFL players include QB Russell Wilson, DE JJ Watt, OT Joe Thomas, LB TJ Watt, C Travis Frederick, RB Jonathan Taylor, DB Troy Vincent, OT Ryan Ramczyk, WR Al Toon, RB Melvin Gordon, RB James White, and TE Owen Daniels.
Top 5 Seasons
Worst Season: 1988 (1-10 overall, 1-7 Big Ten)
After head coach Dave McClain’s unexpected death in 1986, the program tanked, going 3-9, 3-8, and finally 1-10 in 1988. Wisconsin opened with a pair of MAC losses (Western Michigan 14-24, Northern Illinois 17-19), both at Camp Randall. After a 14-62 loss 2 weeks later to #19 Michigan, coach Don Morton attempted to inject some humor into the situation, filming himself rising from a coffin, saying “We may be down, but we’re not dead.” Around the coffin were 4 gravestones, one for each of their losses thus far. Fans didn’t take it very well, and Morton would never really win over the fanbase. Wisky lost 6-31 to Iowa, 6-34 to Illinois, 14-35 to Northwestern, and 6-9 (nice) to Purdue before salvaging their season with a 14-7 win over rival Minnesota. The Badgers were 0-9 going into the game and Minnesota 2-5-2. Wisconsin avoided the Big Ten cellar with the win, as they finished 1-7 in-conference while Minnesota finished just 0-6-2. The season ended with a 0-36 loss to Michigan State. Coach Morton would last just one more year in Madison before being fired, and was actually the last Wisconsin coach to be fired until Paul Chryst in 2022. QBs Tony Lowery, Lionell Crawford, and Otis Flowers combined for just 2 TD 14 INT, and the run game averaged 3.0 YPC. TE Paul Chryst (yes, the same one) had 12 catches for 106 yards. This was the 2nd to last season before Barry Alvarez took over, turning around the program for good.
5. 2010 (11-2 overall, 7-1 Big Ten)
Wisconsin started #12 and was projected to finish 3rd in the Big Ten, coming off a 10-win season and returning QB Scott Tolzien and 1500 yard rusher John Clay. Wisconsin would enjoy their most potent rushing offense since 2000 with Ron Dayne, with 3 990+ yard rushers in John Clay, Montee Ball, and James White. Wisconsin started 4-0 against a cakewalk opening schedule, nearly dropping a game 20-19 to Arizona State. After a road loss to #24 Michigan State, who’d finish the regular season #7, Wisconsin was beginning conference play. After a dominant win over rival Minnesota, it was time for #18 Wisconsin to host #1 Ohio State with ESPN College GameDay in attendance. David Gilreath took back the opening kickoff for a TD and Wisconsin never trailed, winning 31-18, one of the biggest wins in school history. After a classic 31-30 slugfest win over #13 Iowa, Wisconsin won out against an easy remaining schedule, finishing 11-1 as Big Ten champions for the first time since 1999. It took #3 TCU’s best effort to beat #4 Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl, winning 21-19 on an incomplete 2 point pass at the end. Montee Ball and John Clay still combined for 208 yards and 2 TD on 6.3 YPC.
Wisconsin finished the year #7 in the AP Poll, but I was much lower on them, ranking Wisconsin #11 due to their 59th rated strength of schedule. The Badgers had a top 5 offense in the country, averaging 41.5 PPG, and only gave up 20.5 PPG. All 3 Wisconsin RBs had a great year, with John Clay going for 1012 yards and 14 TD, Montee Ball 996 yards and 18 TD, and James White with 1052 yards and 18 TD. The offensive line was perhaps the best in the country, with consensus All-American OT Gabe Carimi, All-American OG John Moffitt, 1st round NFL pick OG Kevin Zeitler, 2nd round C Peter Konz, and 7th round OL Bill Nagy. Even TE Lance Kendricks was a consensus All-American, blocking and leading Wisconsin with 43 catches for 663 yards and 5 TD. DE JJ Watt was an All-American as well with 7 sacks and 21 total TFL, and we all know what he accomplished in the NFL.
4. 2006 (12-1 overall, 7-1 Big Ten)
The first year of life without Barry Alvarez. Bret Bielema was promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach, and 2006 Wisconsin actually ended up having a better defense than any of his years at DC. A stupidly easy non-conference schedule of Bowling Green, Western Illinois, San Diego State, and Buffalo was an automatic 4-0 record for Wisconsin, and they didn’t exactly have a very tough Big Ten draw either, only playing 1 ranked team in #6 Michigan, who they lost to. Wisconsin waddled their way to a 11-1 record, only ranked #12 at 10-1 because of their 89th ranked strength of schedule, but had some nice wins like 24-3 over 8-6 Purdue, 13-3 over eventual #24 Penn State, and 24-21 over 6-7 Iowa in Iowa City. #6 Wisconsin finally got their first win over a ranked team in the Capital One Bowl, beating #12 Arkansas 17-14. Wisconsin only managed -5 rushing yards while Arkansas’ Darren McFadden and Felix Jones combined for 239 rushing yards, but the Badgers somehow got it done.
Wisconsin dropped a rank to finish #7 in the AP Poll, only giving up 12.1 PPG on the year, with 6 games of 10 or fewer points allowed. QB John Stocco had a respectable senior season of 2200 yards 17 TD 6 INT, finishing as Wisconsin’s 2nd all-time passing leader. RB PJ Hill was the Big Ten Freshman of …
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