Ahead of the 2025 college football season, the Wisconsin Badgers have their ranking in ESPN's College Football Power Index (FPI) ahead of Week 1.
As the Wisconsin Badgers get set to open their season against Miami (OH) on Thursday, the college football world is finalizing its predictions for the 2025 season. After a disappointing 5-7 2024, Wisconsin hopes to bounce back and avoid missing a second straight bowl game.
Under head coach Luke Fickell, the Badgers have plenty of returners, but also some new faces. Maryland transfer Billy Edwards Jr. is starting at quarterback, but other additions have come on both sides of the ball. The RedHawks will be an interesting first test, as they finished 9-5 last season.
ESPN’s College Football Power Index (FPI) was recently updated after Week 0, and Wisconsin’s ranking may surprise many. The Badgers are widely regarded to have one of, if not the hardest, schedules in the country, slated to face six AP Top 25 teams as well as a loaded Big Ten.
Wisconsin’s FPI Ranking
Fickell’s team ranks 40th in the nation, one spot under Georgia Tech and one ahead of UCF, for context. The projected win-loss record is 5.6-6.4, which would be in the back half of the 136 teams. The Badgers’ FPI sits at a 6.6, the stat that “measures a team’s true strength on net points scale; expected point margin vs. average opponent on neutral field.”
Odds: Bowl Game, Big Ten Championship, College Football Playoff
There aren’t many people who expect Wisconsin to make the Big Ten Championship, and certainly not the College Football Playoff. A goal many are setting for the season is to reach six wins and get back to a bowl game. Unfortunately, ESPN’s FPI update isn’t doing the team any favors.
The Badgers have a 53.2% chance to reach six wins, which is practically a toss-up. This means that the games against other Big Ten schools that are more than winnable have to be taken advantage of. Schools like Maryland, Iowa and Minnesota have to be won.
Wisconsin has a 0.3% chance of winning the Big Ten, which puts the team at 11th in the conference. Ohio State, the defending national champions, leads the pack with a 35.3% chance.
The Badgers actually have a better shot at beating out the rest of the country for the College Football Playoff with a 3.1% chance. They have a 0.1% chance of making the National Championship and a 0.0% chance of winning it all.
It will be a tough road for Wisconsin. Many didn’t expect them to miss a bowl game for the first time since 2001 last season. This year will be even tougher, but if the Badgers manage to snag some upset wins, perhaps they can shock the world, including ESPN’s FPI.
Category: General Sports
