Despite not playing this weekend, the Wisconsin football team (5-0 Big Ten, 8-0 overall) moved up in both the Associated Press Poll and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.
Following two shocking upsets involving Florida powerhouses Miami and Florida State, the Badgers jumped two spots in the Coaches poll and are now ranked No. 4. Curiously, however, the AP voters put a team with one loss, California (4-1 Pacific-10, 6-1), ahead of Wisconsin at No. 4 by a narrow margin, keeping UW at No. 5 in the AP poll. The Golden Bears are ranked No. 6 in the Coaches poll.
The games of both Florida schools went down to the wire. The Hurricanes (3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference, 6-1) lost 31-28 at North Carolina (3-2, 4-4) when Tar Heel kicker Connor Barth hit a game-winner on the last play of the game. The Seminoles (4-2, 6-2) dropped a 20-17 heartbreaker to Maryland (2-3, 4-4). Much-maligned Florida State senior quarterback Chris Rix, benched earlier this season for his ineffective play, came off the bench to toss his first touchdown pass of the season, but it was not enough to overcome the Terrapins.
Both schools were punished heavily in the polls, with Miami dropping from No. 4 and No. 3 to No. 11 and No. 10 in the AP and Coaches polls, respectively. Florida State dropped from No. 5 to No. 13 in both polls.
The effect all the shuffling will have on Wisconsin's Bowl Championship Series ranking, which will be released today, remains uncertain. While the Badgers will almost certainly improve on their No. 6 BCS ranking, they will continue to be hammered in the computer rankings due to a weak schedule. Strength of schedule is a major component used by the six computer rankings that comprise one-third of the BCS rankings. The AP and Coaches Polls comprise the other two-thirds of the BCS rankings.
The combined record of UW's opponents thus far is a paltry 21-44, far worse than the other unbeaten teams. For comparison, the opponents of No. 1 Southern California (5-0 Pac-10, 8-0) have a record of 33-29; No. 2 Oklahoma (5-0 Big 12, 8-0) has beaten teams with a combined 37-27 record; No. 3 Auburn (6-0 Southeastern Conference, 9-0) has topped opponents that have amassed a 31-39 record. Mid-major Utah (4-0 Mountain West, 8-0), which passed Wisconsin in the BCS standings last week, has faced teams that have a similarly poor 25-40 record.
