Badgers Rise To Fifth In Football Playoff Rankings

Wisconsin rises three places to Number Five in the season’s third College Football Playoff Rankings announced Tuesday night. That apparently gives the Badgers at least a chance to become one of the four playoff participants if they can finish their regular season with wins against Michigan and at Minnesota — plus a victory in the Big Ten Championship game next month. Iowa fell out of the playoff Top 25 after the Badgers beat the Hawkeyes by 24 last Saturday — but Michigan made its debut at Number 24, giving the U-W a chance to beat a ranked team for the second week in a row. Alabama, Clemson, Miami, and Oklahoma are the current Top Four that would make the national semifinals on New Year’s Eve if the final order doesn’t change.