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Wisconsin cracks the top 25 in first USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll

Football season is here, almost. The first USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll dropped earlier today. The Wisconsin Badgers unsurprisingly made the cut, entering the season at No. 21.

I’m sure a big part of Wisconsin’s ranking is due to brand recognition. When an SEC or ACC coach fills out their top 25, there must be a thought toward No. 20 that Wisconsin annually slides in around that spot.

But another piece is the excitement and optimism about the program under Head Coach Luke Fickell. I doubt coaches across the country have a good grasp on how Phil Longo’s offense will work in year one. But it’s hard to bet against a program under Fickell and Longo given the track record of both coaches.

The Badgers are the No. 4-ranked Big Ten team in the poll, following No. 2 Michigan, No. 4 Ohio State and No. 7 Penn State.

A look at the full USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports:

Rank

Team

Record

Points

Change

1

Georgia

0-0

1,643 (61)

2

Michigan

0-0

1,510

3

Alabama

0-0

1,489 (4)

4

Ohio State

0-0

1,485(1)

5

LSU

0-0

1,294

6

USC

0-0

1,228

7

Penn State

0-0

1,181

8

Florida State

0-0

1,145

9

Clemson

0-0

1,078

10

Tennessee

0-0

991

11

Washington

0-0

941

12

Texas

0-0

848

13

Notre Dame

0-0

841

14

Utah

0-0

839

15

Oregon

0-0

820

16

TCU

0-0

655

17

Kansas State

0-0

440

18

Oregon State

0-0

365

19

Oklahoma

0-0

320

20

UNC

0-0

315

21

Wisconsin

0-0

309

22

Miss

0-0

303

23

Tulane

0-0

225

24

Texas Tech

0-0

200

25

Texas A&M

0-0

196

Others Receiving Votes

Iowa 169; South Carolina 89; Florida 63; Texas-San Antonio 59; Pittsburgh 52; UCLA 42; Kentucky 34; Baylor 28; Troy 25; Arkansas 20; NC State 19; Fresno State 19; Boise State 18; Auburn 18; Minnesota 16; Miami 16; Mississippi State 13; Oklahoma State 12; Missouri 11; Maryland 10; Southern Methodist 8; South Alabama 8; Illinois 7; Wake Forest 6; Air Force 6; Toledo 5; Washington State 4; Houston 3; Duke 2; Brigham Young 2; Arizona 2; Memphis 1; Kansas 1; James Madison 1.

Story originally appeared on Badgers Wire