Where ESPN ranks Wisconsin football in 2024 according to tiers

Wisconsin football is in an interesting place entering the 2024 season.

The program is off consecutive 7-6 seasons, the most recent a disappointing debut campaign for new head coach Luke Fickell. But expectations are still high entering 2024. Those expectations are tied to the program’s success from 2000-2019 and to Fickell’s resume before arriving in Madison.

2024 will be about tangible improvements and better results for the Badgers. Importantly, it should signal the rising stock of the Fickell era. But that requirement exists with the team set to face a gauntlet schedule in the expanded Big Ten Conference.

Several variables are working in the positive direction for the program, while others work in the negative. That is why it is interesting to gauge how national publications see Wisconsin entering the season.

ESPN’s David Hale recently divided all 134 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams into tiers entering the 2024 season. Wisconsin was in Tier 8, the ‘In need of a vibe shift’ tier. Here is what Hale wrote about the Badgers:

The teams in this tier are like recent Marvel movies. Sure, we went to see it, and it wasn’t bad, but it’s just hard to keep getting excited for something we know will ultimately disappoint

(…)

Wisconsin wants to evolve into an Air Raid offense, which is a little like Miller High Life evolving into Dom Perignon. They’re technically both champagne, but it seems like a big shift.

Other teams in this tier are Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, Iowa, Maryland, North Carolina and TCU.

Hale’s analogy for Wisconsin’s identity shift to Phil Longo’s pass-first air raid offense works. It certainly applies to the tier’s title. Wisconsin’s ‘vibes’ need to shift, especially on offense, if the program is to reestablish itself toward the top of the Big Ten.

That shift could come in many forms. Wins against Alabama, Oregon, Penn State or Iowa would certainly help.

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