Of the 64 teams in the Power 5 conferences, Wisconsin is the only one that won all of its regular-season games.
Of the 130 teams in the entire Football Bowl Subdivision, Wisconsin is the only team that has won 12 straight games; UCF, the only other remaining undefeated team in the FBS, is 11-0 this year but lost its final game of last season.
Despite that consistency of success, however, the Badgers are still considered to be underdogs entering Saturday’s Big Ten Championship Game against Ohio State in Indianapolis.
That’s in part because of who Wisconsin has played this season, as only one of its 12 wins have come against a team currently ranked in the AP Top 25 (No. 20 Northwestern). Ohio State, which is ranked No. 8 in this week’s AP poll, will be the highest-ranked team the Badgers have played all season.
Wisconsin ranks just 45th this season in FBS strength of schedule, according to TeamRankings.com; Ohio State, by contrast, ranks third. The Badgers did not play any Power 5 teams in its non-conference schedule and did not end up playing any of the top three teams in the Big Ten East during the regular season. Wisconsin was expected to win going into every game it played this season, making Saturday’s game against the Buckeyes – who are 5.5-point favorites to win as of Monday morning, according to Vegas Insider, despite having two losses this year – the first time the Badgers will go into a game all year as the underdog.
Even so, winning 12 games in a row isn’t easy no matter who you play, as evidenced by the fact that no other team has been able to do it.
For further evidence of how hard it is to avoid losing, even against unranked underdogs, one only needs to look at the two teams still ranked ahead of Wisconsin in the AP poll: No. 1 Clemson suffered its only loss of the season to date to Syracuse, a team that isn’t even bowl-eligible, while No. 2 Oklahoma suffered its only loss of the year to Iowa State. Other examples: Miami suffered its first loss of the season on Friday to Pittsburgh, another team that isn’t even bowl-eligible, while Ohio State lost by 31 points to unranked Iowa.
All of that gives Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst an appreciation for just how consistently successful his team has been this season.
"I think it’s never easy to win. And that’s why your grateful for all the work that goes into that week, and most importantly, players playing the game and finding a way to win and to do that each week, you’re very grateful," Chryst said on Sunday’s Big Ten Championship Game coaches’ teleconference. "Each game is a challenge, and that’s why you appreciate the players and coaches for what they do each week, and all that’s earned the right to play against a heck of a football team in Ohio State."
Paul Chryst has had plenty to celebrate this season. Jeff Hanisch – USA TODAY Sports
Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, who regularly talks about how challenging it is to win on a week-to-week basis even though he has won nearly 85 percent of the games he has coached in his career, also appreciates the nature of what the Badgers have accomplished this season, describing them as a "great Wisconsin team" that has excelled in many of the same areas that the Badgers often do on an annual basis.
"I think they’ve got their niche, and they’re as good as anybody in the country at recruiting into that and developing people," Meyer said Sunday. "(Chryst) and his staff have done a brilliant job. I think they do a great job of evaluating and developing players."
Chryst credits the efforts of his players with enabling his to have the consistent success it has had this year.
"These kids, they do a good job of trying to individually, what can they do to get better, and then if every individual does that collectively, we get better," Chryst said. "It’s a group that continues to want to get better."
Despite its undefeated record, Wisconsin is ranked behind two teams who have each lost a game in the AP poll. It was ranked behind both of them in last week’s College Football Playoff rankings and likely still will be this week. And it wouldn’t be a shock if Auburn – which has two losses, but was only one spot behind Wisconsin last week – leapfrogs the Badgers after its win over previously undefeated Alabama.
Chryst, though, says he and his team are not worried about not getting the respect they might deserve for being an undefeated team, instead keeping their eyes on preparing for the opportunity they have to play a top-10-ranked Ohio State team in the Big Ten Championship Game and potentially improve to 13-0 – which would almost certainly punch their ticket to the playoff, even though they have yet to crack the top four of the CFP rankings – if they can beat the Buckeyes.
"I think it’s a lot easier when, for us, we get to be in the moment of the week and so that’s all your focus and energy goes into that," Chryst said. "This group earned the right to play in this game, so all the focus and energy this week goes into preparing for a heck of an Ohio State team and so, I know there’s talk and all that, but really, what greater thing than to get to play in this game and play against a team, talented, well-coached Ohio State football team, and that’s where all your energy and thoughts go."
“These kids, they do a good job of trying to individually, what can they do to get better, and then if every individual does that collectively, we get better.” – Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst
Chryst said his team, which has won each of its last six games and 10 of its 12 total games by at least 14 points, has done a great job of keeping its focus of the upcoming task at hand all season.
"I think the group’s done a good job of trying to be in the moment and enjoying the moment, whether that moment’s kind of that game week or just, I think it’s even just more of how we make this the best Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday," Chryst said. "I think it’s a group that likes each other, so they like being around and working together, and I think that they’ve got a vision of what they want to be, and that’s the best team."
