USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine released their pre-season poll today and Wisconsin checked in at #15. The Badgers are the only team that had a losing record last season to make the pre-season top 15.
| Rank | Team | Points | First Place Votes |
| 1. | Boston College | 476 | 20 |
| 2. | Minnesota | 476 | 12 |
| 3. | Michigan | 408 | 2 |
| 4. | North Dakota | 407 | |
| 5. | Union | 295 | |
| 6. | Cornell | 233 | |
| 7. | UMass-Lowell | 221 | |
| 8. | Denver | 220 | |
| 9. | Miami | 203 | |
| 10. | Notre Dame | 186 | |
| 11. | Western Michigan | 182 | |
| 12. | Minnesota-Duluth | 176 | |
| 13. | Boston University | 158 | |
| 14. | Ferris State | 123 | |
| 15. | Wisconsin | 99 |
Others receiving votes: Harvard University, 58; University of Maine, 24; Quinnipiac University, 24; Michigan State University, 19; Colorado College, 19; University of New Hampshire, 17; Ohio State University, 17; St. Cloud (Minn.) State University, 15; Merrimack College, 7; Providence College, 6; Yale University, 6;
United States Air Force Academy, 3; Northern Michigan University, 1; Michigan Tech University, 1.