Fansided

College Football Playoff Rankings: Projected top four after Week 9

By Nathaniel Reeves

JACKSONVILLE, FL - OCTOBER 28: The Georgia Bulldogs celebrate after Georgia Bulldogs running back Nick Chubb (27) scored during the game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Florida Gators on October 28, 2017 at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Fl. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
JACKSONVILLE, FL - OCTOBER 28: The Georgia Bulldogs celebrate after Georgia Bulldogs running back Nick Chubb (27) scored during the game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Florida Gators on October 28, 2017 at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Fl. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
CHAMPAIGN, IL – OCTOBER 28: Head coach Paul Chryst of the Wisconsin Badgers is seen during the game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium on October 28, 2017 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL – OCTOBER 28: Head coach Paul Chryst of the Wisconsin Badgers is seen during the game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium on October 28, 2017 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
3

Wisconsin Badgers

Last week: Def. Illinois 24-10
Last rank: NR

Despite playing nobody of note yet, expect the undefeated Badgers to check in at No. 3 on Tuesday night after a pair of teams ahead of them lost.

Wisconsin didn’t earn a lot of style points on Saturday, but Paul Chryst will gladly take a 24-10 road win over hapless Illinois. The Badgers surrendered just 286 yards of total offense and put Illinois away late in the fourth on a beautiful trick play that resulted in a touchdown run for offensive lineman Michael Dieter.

Chryst’s team is rolling along at 8-0 and hasn’t been seriously challenged yet with each of those victories coming by at least eight points. While Wisconsin’s best win is a 33-24 triumph over Northwestern, this season has proved how difficult it is to take care of business against unranked foes every week over the course of a year, and the Badgers will have opportunities to add ranked wins to their resume later on.

Unfortunately for Wisconsin, star freshman running back Jonathan Taylor left Saturday’s game in the second quarter with a leg injury. The Badgers will be favored over every team remaining on their regular season schedule even without Taylor, but their playoff hopes rest largely on his health.

There’s no real argument for Wisconsin to crack the top two over Alabama or Georgia based on their soft schedule so far. Wisconsin will travel to Bloomington for a road matchup with Indiana next Saturday.

Home/College Football Playoff