Badgers climb to No. 12 in latest FanPulse Poll

The regular season has come and gone. It was another great college football season, but the fun is really just getting started. Conference titles, bowl bids and playoff spots are all still on the line as the teams turn the calendar to December.

This past week the Wisconsin Badgers took down the Minnesota Golden Gophers to claim Paul Bunyan’s Axe and the Big Ten West title. As a result, the Badgers jumped to No. 12 in the latest FanPulse Poll despite being ranked in the top ten in the national polls. Other Big Ten schools will also be important to pay attention to down the stretch this week.

This week’s opponent, the Ohio State Buckeyes, are currently ranked No. 2 in the latest FanPulse release. East division foe Penn State is ranked No. 11, which is one spot ahead of the Badgers. Where those two teams finish will have carry significant weight on Sunday morning in terms of bowl match ups.

If Ohio State were to win and make the playoff, the Rose Bowl would take the second highest ranked Big Ten team. With very similar resumes, how Wisconsin fares in this weekend’s match-up could go a long way in deciding who ranks higher. In addition to those three teams, Minnesota ranks No. 17, Michigan ranks No. 19, and Iowa ranks No. 21 in the latest FanPulse release which gives the Badgers three quality wins on the season.

In addition to the rankings, SB Nation once again polled the fan’s confidence in their football program. Confidence dropped to 67% after the Illinois loss, but has rose once again to 97% after the Badgers win over the Gophers. With the Axe in its rightful home, it appears confidence has continued to rise.

Lastly, SB Nation’s poll question was about the upcoming playoff and who should get the fourth spot on Sunday morning. Somewhat surprisingly, the Utah Utes led the way with 44% of the votes while the Oklahoma Sooners just received just 28%. It will be incredibly interesting to see how that could play out if both teams take down Oregon and Baylor on Saturday afternoon. If not one of those two, 20% voted for the Georgia Bulldogs who would be in with an upset win over LSU. A small 1.2% of the nation also voted for Alabama to get the fourth spot..... (LOL).

We’ll see how things shake out, but overall the season was incredibly fun and exciting. It’s what makes college football so fun and makes every game matter.

To the fans, thank you for signing up and participating in the FanPulse Poll each and every week. We love to give you a voice, and we love that you take the opportunity to express your opinions. If you’re team is playing in a game this weekend, we wish you good luck, and On, Wisconsin!