After starting off the season with a 1-3 record, the Wisconsin Badgers have turned things around with six straight victories.
Much of this recent success can be attributed to improved play on the offensive side of the ball. After failing to score more than 20 points and each of the team’s first three losses, the Badgers have now cracked that mark in each contest throughout their win streak — including a massive 52-3 win over Rutgers in Week 9.
With this impressive string of games, Wisconsin has earned a No. 15 spot in this week’s College Football Playoff rankings.
During ESPN’s selection show on Tuesday night, college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit credited head coach Paul Chryst for the Badgers’ turnaround.
“Their offense has gotten better. They’ve found an identity on that side of the ball,” Herbstreit said. “Paul Chryst has done a heck of a job with a team that was 1-3… And here they are in the top 15 with a couple of games to play. Good for them.”
Since taking over as the head coach of Wisconsin in 2015, Chryst has led the Badgers to six straight bowl game appearances — amassing an impressive 5-1 record along the way. With the slow start to this season, it looked as though that bowl game streak could be in jeopardy, but this end-of-season performance has them primed for a solid postseason yet again.
2020 was Chryst’s first season in Madison without a double-digit win total. But with this past Saturday’s blowout win over Northwestern, the longtime head coach has clinched yet another 10-win season.
Wisconsin will look to continue its streak with a win over Nebraska this coming weekend.