Wisconsin football: No. 12 is unlucky for Badgers in preseason rankings

ESPN’s Chris Fallica let Wisconsin football fans in on a stat about preseason rankings they probably could have gone without knowing. The Badgers opened at No. 12 in the preseason AP poll, typically a good thing.

However, Fallica noted the Badgers also started 2020 at No. 12 in the preseason poll but finished unranked. He then added that Wisconsin opened the season ranked No. 12 in 2012 and finished unranked that year as well. Not exactly the trend you want to hear about if you’re rooting for the Badgers.

For what it’s worth, Wisconsin football also started 2010 ranked No. 12 and finished that season at No. 7 and made a Rose Bowl appearance. The Badgers also played in the Rose Bowl in 2012 despite finishing the year unranked. But adding that information doesn’t make for a good tweet.

Graham Mertz threw for 248 yards and five touchdowns in the season opener against Illinois last season, but then caught COVID-19. He could never quite find the same rhythm and threw only four touchdowns over the next six games combined.

He returns in 2021 looking to have a healthier and more productive year.

The Badgers begin their season on Sept. 4 with a Big Ten matchup against No. 19 Penn State. They also have a nonconference game against No. 9 Notre Dame on Sept. 25.

Both games will be huge tests in the early going, with a battle against Eastern Michigan sandwiched in between.

In the past 20 seasons, Wisconsin has finished unranked seven times. They have eight top 15 rankings in that same span. The Badgers have been a fixture among the top teams in the Big Ten thanks to running backs such as Melvin Gordon and Jonathan Taylor.

Last season, however, they struggled to run the ball. Their committee of running backs averaged just 164.6 yards per game on the ground, seventh in the Big Ten. Improving its ground game is probably the top concern Wisconsin has ahead of 2021.

The defense kept the Badgers afloat last season, finishing among the top five units in the country. Linebackers Leo Chenal and Jack Sanborn return to lead what should be one of the most feared defenses in the nation in 2021.

Although Wisconsin football has failed to live up to its preseason rankings a few times in past years, all things on paper point to this being a winning football team.