This isn’t your average college football ranking.
My Ultimate 136 is a set of rankings that is fluid, but it’s my job to look ahead and make a claim for all FBS teams based on what I know and why I know it. Here are the three pressing questions I started by asking when putting together this list:
- Who do I think is good?
- Why do I think they’re good?
- What are the chances they will finish above or below my expectations?
Here is a look at where Wisconsin lands in my Ultimate 136.
Wisconsin ranking: 51
Last year’s ranking: 27
Top player: CB Ricardo Hallman: Was targeted 33 times in 319 coverage snaps last season and allowed just 20 catches, the second-fewest in the Big Ten among cornerbacks with 300-plus coverage snaps; was an AP Third-Team All-American in 2023.
RJ’s take: Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Wisconsin is best when it runs the ball. Since the final game of the 2022 season, the Badgers are 12-0 when they rush for 150-plus yards. So, after the Badgers rushed for their fewest yards in a full season since the turn of the 20th century, it’s easy to see why Phil Longo was no longer fit to call the offense.
Making matters worse in 2024 was the 20.8 points per game the team averaged, which was its lowest in a full season since 2004. Now, Jeff Grimes takes over as offensive coordinator after overseeing a Kansas offense that ranked in the top 15 in rushing and produced a 1,000-yard rusher in Devin Neal.
He had better get it sorted out fast with games at Alabama, vs. Iowa, at Michigan, at Oregon, vs. Ohio State and at Indiana this season.
[Check out RJ Young’s Ultimate 136 College Football Rankings here]
Wisconsin Win Total Odds: Over 5.5 (+138) Under 5.5 (-170)
Have an issue with my rankings? Think your alma mater is too low, or your school’s rival is too high? Get at me on X, @RJ_Young, and I’ll select my favorite tweets and respond to them in a future article.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him at @RJ_Young.
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