The top five teams in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association standings are all ranked in the top 12 in the national rankings, including four in the top 10, but the college hockey season is long, and rankings this early tell us very little.
The Badgers have climbed to No. 2 in the national rankings and sit atop the WCHA conference, but keep in mind the Badgers were ranked No. 2 in the Dec. 6 USCHO poll last season and then started losing, ending the season out of the top ten.
Colorado College came in to Madison last weekend ranked No. 1 and was embarrassed by a red-hot Badger squad, dropping them to No. 3. But do not expect the cardinal and white to have it easy when they travel to Colorado College in mid-January.
CC is a small school with a huge hockey program and an even bigger fan base. The Tigers will have a chip on their shoulder after being embarrassed at the Kohl Center and after what they feel was a cheap hit by Badger captain Adam Burish at the end of Saturday night's game.
Do not forget Colorado College has the top two scorers in the nation from last season in senior forwards Brett Sterling and Marty Sertich. Sertich is also the reigning Hobey Baker award winner.
Minnesota is in second place in the WCHA and ranked No. 10 nationally, but has not had any quality wins and has lost to some weak teams. The high ranking can be partly attributed to the fact that coach Don Lucia's teams always tend to pull things together midway through the year and end up near the top of the WCHA.
No matter who is hot or cold, the Badgers and Gophers both have talented squads and always seem to play each other closely, so be ready for an intense match-up when the Badgers travel to Minneapolis in early December.
North Dakota and Denver are two teams that finished strong last season. North Dakota went from a middle-of-the-road team midway through the season to a Frozen Four team. Denver had a decent regular season, and then turned it on in the playoffs to take their second consecutive national title.
While both North Dakota and Denver sit below the Badgers in the polls and in the standings, watch for them to finish the season strong and become threatening when spring comes.
Minnesota State and Minnesota-Duluth could play the role of spoilers to the top teams in the WCHA. Minnesota State is unbeaten in their last four, but will have their hands full this weekend at the Kohl Center.
Duluth already upset Minnesota in a series in early November, taking three of four points from the Gophers. The Bulldogs have the potential to upset other league teams. The Badgers have had trouble with Duluth recently, but should be able to handle the Bulldogs.
St. Cloud State, Michigan Tech and Alaska-Anchorage are the last three teams in the standings but not the weakest three teams in the league. St. Cloud has had a tough schedule thus far, and should climb in the standings later on.
St. Cloud has already faced Wisconsin, Colorado College and Minnesota, and all six of those games were decided by two or fewer goals. The Huskies also picked up a win against Minnesota and tied with the Badgers.
Michigan Tech and Alaska-Anchorage are the weakest two teams in the league. They may pick up a win or two against the top teams in the league this year, but shouldn't cause too many headaches.
Having allowed 31 goals and only scored eight times in six league games, Anchorage has been making a habit of getting blown out by other WCHA teams. Michigan Tech has not had a winning WCHA conference record since the 1992-93 season, and it won't happen this year.
In a perfect world for Badger fans, the team will stay hot for the remainder of the season. But since minor dry spells are inevitable, expect the team to bounce around in the polls a little bit and finish at or near the top of the WCHA.
