Wisconsin’s dramatic road win at Penn State has sparked a ranking debate: the Badgers were left out of the AP Top 25 yet earned high praise from ESPN analyst Greg McElroy, who slots them at No. 15 in his personal Top-15. The split highlights a tension between resume-based evaluation and questions about sustained performance.
Officially, Wisconsin sits just outside the AP poll — the team received the most votes among unranked squads, effectively making them the unofficial No. 26. Earlier in the season AP voters had placed the Badgers as high as No. 18 in Week 5.
Greg McElroy has taken a markedly different stance. In his latest Top-15 list he put Wisconsin at No. 15, ahead of programs such as BYU, Texas Tech, SMU, Tennessee and USC. McElroy points to what he calls Wisconsin’s strength of record and schedule as the key factors behind that decision.
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“They’re seventh in strength of record. They’ve played the sixth-toughest schedule in college football. They just won at Penn State. The only loss that they have so far is the team that we ranked No. 4 (Notre Dame),” McElroy said.
He added perspective on his ranking philosophy: “Our Top 15 is built almost entirely on resume and control, who you’ve beaten, where you’ve beaten them.” McElroy also argued that the Penn State win changes how Wisconsin stacks up against many teams at this point in the season. “I think Wisconsin, based on the win last week, that’s better than what a lot of teams have right now in college football.”
Is Wisconsin truly a top-15 team?
The Badgers’ signature victory makes a persuasive resume argument. A top-15 road win is rare this early and gives Wisconsin real ammunition in ranking conversations.
Still, skepticism is understandable. On offense, there are tangible concerns: turnovers by quarterback Colton Joseph, an inconsistent running game and unsettled play at left tackle have left questions about the unit’s reliability.
Conversely, Wisconsin’s defense looked the part of an elite group in Happy Valley. That unit could be the backbone of a high-performing team if it continues at that level.
Many analysts and fans remain split. While some will accept a resume-first approach and place the Badgers among the nation’s top 15, others prefer to weigh on-field consistency more heavily and would keep teams like BYU or SMU ahead for now.
Put simply: Wisconsin has a Top 25 case that is difficult to dismiss. Whether the Badgers have shown enough to be a genuine top-15 team, however, remains an open question until the offense proves steadier and the defense sustains its recent form.
