Wisconsin is one of four Big Ten teams inside top 10 of ESPN’s SP+ ranking

Wisconsin’s 34-7 victory over Eastern Michigan on Saturday saw the team stand pat in both weekly polls—the AFCA Coaches Poll and the AP Poll.

The ranking makes sense, though, as Eastern Michigan is a bottom-of-the-barrel MAC team and didn’t present much of a challenge.

One ranking where the Badgers did rise, notably, is ESPN’s SP+. They jumped up to No. 8, joining three other Big Ten teams within the ranking’s top 10.

The ranking puts Badgers offense No. 40 nationally and defense No. 3, the offense number being likely to rise as the team figures out its red zone flaws.

Some other things to note from the latest SP+ ranking:

• Notre Dame, Wisconsin’s opponent on September 25, is at No. 18

• Michigan, Wisconsin’s opponent the next week, is up at No. 6

• Despite dominant wins, Iowa is down at No. 16 in the ranking

• Wisconsin’s schedule is a lot tougher according to this metric than it is according to national polls

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Five takeaways from Wisconsin's 34-7 victory over Eastern Michigan