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Wisconsin Football: Badgers ranked No. 9 in final AP poll
The Wisconsin Badgers finished in the top ten of the final AP poll after the college football season ended Monday night in stunning fashion.
The Wisconsin Badgers football team finished off their impressive 2016-17 campaign with a No. 9 ranking in the last edition of the AP top 25 poll.
Clemson, who knocked off Alabama in the National Championship grabbed the number one spot, followed by the Crimson Tide at No. 2. From there, it gets much less-expected as the USC Trojans, who stormed back to beat Penn State in the Rose Bowl landed the No. 3 spot. Washington and Oklahoma round out the top five.
Wisconsin finished with a record 2-3 against teams that ended in the top 25, with all three losses coming against teams in the top ten. Having Nebraska and Iowa both lose their bowl games hurt the Badgers’ chances of securing a few more quality wins on paper.
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At No. 9, this mark is the highest end-of-the-season ranking for the Badgers since 2010, when they finished at No. 7.
Despite three heartbreaking seven-point losses, the Badgers exceeded expectations finishing with an 11-3 record and a Big Ten West division title. Wisconsin will face a much easier non-conference and league schedule next season and will return roughly 15 starters.
The Badgers also finished No. 9 in the USA Today/Coaches poll. Wisconsin will host Utah State in the 2017-18 season opener at Camp Randall.
