Badgers really impress AP top-25 voters after win over Michigan

There wasn’t much for Wisconsin fans to complain about Saturday in the Badgers’ 35-14 win over Michigan.

There isn’t much to complain about with the votes garnered for Wisconsin in the latest Associated top-25 poll, either.

The Badgers’ manhandling of the then-No. 11 Wolverines catapulted Wisconsin from No. 13 to No. 8 in the AP poll. Fifty-five voters had UW in the top 10 on their ballot.

Only one voter didn’t move Wisconsin up on his or her ballot – Matt Baker. But then again, Baker already had the Badgers at No. 8.

Many voters were really impressed. Conor O’Neill of the Winston-Salem Journal moved UW up 14 spots, from No. 22 to No. 8 while Chadd Cripe of the Idaho Statesman vaulted the Badgers to No. 7 from No. 20.

Three voters had Wisconsin at No. 6: Eric Hansen of the South Bend Tribune, Sam McKewon of the Omaha World-Herald and Tom Bragg of the Charleston Gazette-Mail. Both Hansen and McKewon have the Badgers ranked ahead of Auburn and Oklahoma while Braggs slots UW in front of Ohio State and Auburn.

If you really want to find reason to complain … well, three voters had Wisconsin at No. 12, including Theo Lawson of the Spokesman-Review. Oh, Lawson also had Michigan at No. 13.

Here’s how all the AP voters cast their ballots in Week 5 compared to Week 4:

Dave Heller is the author of Ken Williams: A Slugger in Ruth’s Shadow (a Larry Ritter Book Award nominee), Facing Ted Williams – Players From the Golden Age of Baseball Recall the Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived and As Good As It Got: The 1944 St. Louis Browns