After a stunning loss against a bottom-of-the-barrel Illinois team, many fans think that Wisconsin’s playoff hopes are dashed. But that simply isn’t the case. Yes, this may be Illinois’ first win against a ranked B1G Ten opponent in over a decade. But Wisconsin still has a chance to improve its resume, as well as make a strong run for the College Football Playoffs.
Wisconsin’s Current State
Despite a strong 6-0 start with notable blowout wins over #19 Michigan and defensively-strong Michigan State, Wisconsin still seemed to get little to no attention from outside of the Midwest. Now they have that attention, but probably not in the way they want. The now #13th ranked Badgers sit at 6-1 overall. Their loss to Illinois puts them 2nd to the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the B1G Ten West. While times may be grim in Madison right now, Wisconsin’s playoff hopes are still alive. This upset may give them a reality check for what is to come later in the season.
Season Outlook
The Badgers have five games left, two of those games being critical in relation to the college football playoff. This upcoming week is the first of those two critical games. They have to travel on the road to Columbus to play an undefeated, and highly lethal Ohio State. This was already a huge game for both teams, but now, it’s even bigger for Wisconsin. Preseason, this game was sought out to be the one that the Badgers could drop and still have a shot at the CFP. But now with the loss to Illinois, any other loss will undoubtedly seal Wisconsin’s playoff chances. Hope seems lost for the Badgers, but if they can go into the Horseshoe and take down one of the top dogs in the country, they will surely make a statement to the selection committee.
The second critical game on Wisconsin’s schedule is in the last week of the regular season against Minnesota. This is an important game because the undefeated Golden Gophers currently sit first in the B1G Ten West. If they can stay undefeated until Week 12, then November 30th will be a big day. The winner would go to the B1G Ten championship. Considering how good Ohio State is, they’re most likely going to win the B1G East, meaning that Wisconsin would get a second chance at the Buckeyes (assuming they beat them this Saturday).
Minnesota staying undefeated all the way to Week 12 is a huge “if” though. The Golden Gophers are barely undefeated with four close wins to begin the season against average competition at best. They beat both South Dakota State and Purdue by 7, and Fresno State and Georgia Southern by 3. To make matters worse, two of their next three games are against ranked B1G Ten opponents. They’re at home against #6 Penn State, then on the road at #20 Iowa. Two games they could very well end up losing. If that’s the case, then the potential hype for Week 12 goes away.
Can Wisconsin Do It?
If the question was if I want them to do it, then the answer would be yes. It would be refreshing to see another B1G Ten team besides Ohio State in the top 4. But if the question is whether the Badgers CAN do it, the truth is, I don’t really know. They had two strong wins over Michigan and Michigan State. But the later we get into the season, the weaker those two teams look. Are those two wins really as good as they seem? Only time will tell.The fate of Wisconsin’s season rests on the shoulders of QB Jack Coan. Teams are going to start to scheme more and more against RB Jonathan Taylor, meaning that Wisconsin is going to have to rely heavily on the arm of Coan. He’s been decent so far this season, having over 1100 yards through the air and a 9:2 TD to INT ratio. But he’s struggled within the conference, not having a B1G Ten passing TD until Week 6 against Michigan State. He did throw a TD in last week’s loss vs. Illinois, but also threw a costly interception late in the game that ultimately set up the game-winning FG for the Fighting Illini. If Wisconsin wants to compete with the top dogs, they cannot be one-dimensional. Coan has to step up, and he has to step up now.
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