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The Wisconsin Badgers were ranked number eight in the fourth week of this year's college football season. Now they are 1-5 in conference and at the bottom of the Big Ten teams. That is one of the biggest drops I've ever seen for almost any team. It compares to the Michigan Wolverines dropping out of the rankings last year after losing to Appalachian State. Michigan had been ranked fifth in the preseason. Both are remarkable drops. Most projections had Wisconsin at second right behind Ohio State for the final Big Ten standings at the end of the year. The Badgers still have games at Indiana and against a good rival Minnesota. They also play Cal Poly, but that should be an easy win. The Badgers are unlikely to qualify for a bowl game unless they win out and some strange bowl committee feels sorry for them. Wisconsin has had a good football program the last few year and usually been in the top 5 teams in the conference. To the Badgers credit they have had a lot of close losses to good teams this year. They narrowly were defeated by a measly two points to Michigan. They came just short of an upset of Ohio State 20-17. They tried but failed against Michigan State with the score 25-24. They were beat by a late field goal. Ouch! They even beat a ranked Fresno State and an Illinois team that can always catch fire with Juice Williams at quarterback. They are 4-5 in overall wins. So they could end up with a winning season, it just won't look like a moral victory to Wisconsin fans. They have a good QB commitment in Jon Budmayr coming in next year. They also have some good future players at Defensive Tackle and Delaware that will join their team next season. They could easily redeem themselves next year. Considering this is a rebuilding year for Wisconsin, they are doing an admirable job keeping afloat. They have 54 freshman and only 16 seniors. So they are a young team that will definitely improve as they probably won't lose hardly any juniors to the NFL Draft. This is Allan Evridge's last year so a new quarterback will have to step it up next year. It is most likely to be Dustin Sherer as he will be a senior next year and they need some experience. This year is not a total loss, as they have proved they can stay competitive with teams and maintain a decent overall record.
Article Source: http://www.searchevolution.com/articles
Clarke Baldwin is a journalist who has worked for Dallas Morning News and other publications. You can find his site at Super Media Blog and this article at Big Fall for Wisconsin Badgers Football in the Sports
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