Wisconsin predicted to finish 7th in preseason Big Ten poll

What can fans expect from the Badgers this season?

Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell is shown during the first quarter of their game against Northwestern Saturday, November 11, 2023 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. / Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Wisconsin is predicted to finish seventh in the Big Ten this season according to a preseason media poll from Cleveland.com.

Big Ten preseason poll via @clevelanddotcom (B1G doesn’t do one)

1 Ohio St (21 1st place votes)
2 Oregon (6)
3 Penn St
4 Michigan
5 Iowa
6 USC
7 Wisconsin
8 Nebraska
9 Rutgers
10 Washington
11 Maryland
12 Minnesota
13 Illinois
14 Northwestern
15 UCLA
16 Mich St
17 Indiana
18…

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) July 22, 2024

The 2024-25 season will be a monumental one for the Big Ten after adding USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington to form an 18-team conference. Finishing seventh would put the Badgers nearly inside the top third of the new-look league.

The only returning Big Ten teams ranked ahead of the Badgers are Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan and Iowa.

Wisconsin is coming off a 7-6 season and they lost star running back Braelon Allen and starting quarterback Tanner Mordecai in the offseason. The media seems to think that Luke Fickell will have a bounce-back campaign in year two in Madison.

Wisconsin begins its 2024-25 season Aug. 30 against Western Michigan at Camp Randall Stadium. Believe it or not, the Week 3 showdown with Alabama on Sept. 14 is just 54 days away.