Badgers leap in to Top 25 after win over LSU

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MADISON, Wis. - The Wisconsin Badgers shocked the college football world when they beat then-No. 5 LSU 16-14 on Saturday at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, but they're not going unnoticed any longer.

The Badgers received votes but were un-ranked in both the Associated Press and Amway Coaches' Polls in the preseason, but soared up when both polls were released on Tuesday. Wisconsin moved all the way up to No. 10 in the AP Poll, their highest ranking in the media poll since they finished the season at No. 10 after the 2011 season.

Wisconsin also jumped up to No. 16 in the Coaches' Poll, while LSU dropped down to No. 21 in the AP Poll and No. 22 in the Coaches' Poll.

Even with their big jump up in the rankings, the Badgers are still looking up at a few conference foes. Ohio State moved up to No. 4 in both the AP and Coaches' Polls, with Michigan nipping at their heels at No. 5 and No. 6, respectively.

In moving up to No. 10 the Badgers jumped both Michigan State and Iowa in the AP Poll, but still trail the Spartans and Hawkeyes in the Coaches Poll, where they are ranked No. 8 and No. 10 respectively.

Moving up so far so fast in both polls might seem like a stretch to some, but unlike in previous years the Badgers will have a chance to go toe-to-toe with the other ranked Big Ten teams. They go on the road to both Michigan State and Michigan on Sept. 24 and Oct. 1, and host Ohio State on Oct. 15 before hitting the road again to visit Iowa on Oct. 22.

Justified or not, the Badgers will put their new ranking to the test on Sept. 10 when they host Akron for their home opener at Camp Randall Stadium.

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John Veldhuis covers Wisconsin football, basketball and recruiting for BadgerBlitz.com on the Rivals.com network. Follow him on Twitter at @JohnVeldhuis.