2020 Wisconsin
4–3 (3–3 Big Ten), coached by Paul Chryst. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Illinois 45–7Oct 23
By 38 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat Minnesota 20–17Dec 19
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 23 | vs Illinois | W 45–7 | 81% |
| Nov 14 | at Michigan | W 49–11 | 49% |
| Nov 21 | at 19Northwestern | L 7–17 | 61% |
| Dec 5 | vs 10Indiana | L 6–14 | 64% |
| Dec 12 | at 19Iowa | L 7–28 | 33% |
| Dec 19 | vs Minnesota | W 20–17 | 63% |
| Dec 30Bowls & playoff | vs Wake ForestDuke’s Mayo Bowl | W 42–28 | 64% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Beat Wake Forest 42–28 in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; 5th in the Big Ten.
In program history: The 27th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 135 on file).
AP poll, week by week
- Wk 1: 12
- Wk 5: 19
- Wk 6: 16
- Wk 7: 16
- Wk 8: 14
- Wk 9: 9
- Wk 10: 10
- Wk 11: 13
- Wk 12: 10
- Wk 13: 18
- Wk 14: 18
- Wk 15: 25
- Record
- 4–3
- Conference
- 3–3 5th in Big Ten
- AP final
- Unranked peak No. 9
- Points
- 176–122
- Coach
- Paul Chryst
- Elo
- 1647 −1 this season
- SP+ rating
- 26.5 No. 3 of 130; offense No. 9, defense No. 2
- SRS
- 9.5 No. 15 of 77 in FBS
- Returning
- 69% of last season’s EPA, No. 55 of 130
- Recruiting class
- No. 25 roster talent No. 32 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Joe Rudolph
- Defensive coordinator
- Jim Leonhard
- Captain
- Garrett Groshek
- Offense
- Pro-style
- Defense
- 3–4
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.05 | 44% | 1.12 | 92nd of 127 |
| Defense | -0.10 | 35% | 1.26 | 1st of 127 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.07 off -0.02 def | 43% off 37% def | — | 95th off 3rd def |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 3.5 | own 31 | 16% allowed |
| Defense | 2.4 | own 27 | 18% caused |
CORE rating 6.2, 39th of 127 (offense -8.1, defense -14.3).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Graham Mertz QB | 1,238 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Graham Mertz QB | 9 TD |
| Rushing yards | Jalen Berger RB | 301 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Nakia Watson RB | 3 TD |
| Receiving yards | Jake Ferguson TE | 305 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Jake Ferguson TE | 4 TD |
| Tackles | Jack Sanborn LB | 52 tkl |
| Sacks | Leo Chenal LB | 3 sacks |
| Interceptions | Scott Nelson S | 2 INT |
Top recruits in the 2020 class
| Trey Wedig OT | ★★★★ | No. 83 |
| Jack Nelson OT | ★★★★ | No. 104 |
| Jalen Berger RB | ★★★★ | No. 136 |
| Nick Herbig OLB | ★★★★ | No. 143 |
| Kaden Johnson OLB | ★★★★ | No. 181 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2020 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Running backs | 1 | 4.0 | 0.937 |
| Receivers | 4 | 3.0 | 0.857 |
| Offensive line | 7 | 3.1 | 0.866 |
| Defensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.853 |
| Linebackers | 6 | 3.3 | 0.889 |
| Defensive backs | 2 | 2.5 | 0.778 |
| Athletes and specialists | 2 | 2.5 | 0.797 |
| Whole class | 25 | 3.1 | 0.859 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Drafted in 2021
The 2021 draft| Rd 5 | Isaiahh Loudermilk DT | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Rd 6 | Rachad Wildgoose CB | Buffalo Bills |
| Rd 6 | Cole Van Lanen OT | Green Bay Packers |
Roster 142
The 2020 roster142 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2020 line; 60 have a stat line. See the roster
All-Big Ten
2 first teamFirst team
Cole Van LanenOTCoaches-1; Media-2- Jake FergusonTECoaches-2; Media-1
From Wikipedia’s 2020 all-conference team article, with the selectors that named each player (AP-1: the Associated Press’s first team).
2020 Big Ten standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
 Ohio State | 5–0 | 7–1 | 2 |
| Northwestern | 6–1 | 7–2 | 10 |
| Indiana | 6–1 | 6–2 | 12 |
| Iowa | 6–2 | 6–2 | 16 |
| Wisconsin | 3–3 | 4–3 | |
 Penn State | 4–5 | 4–5 | |
| Minnesota | 3–4 | 3–4 | |
 Maryland | 2–3 | 2–3 | |
 Nebraska | 3–5 | 3–5 | |
 Rutgers | 3–6 | 3–6 | |
| Michigan | 2–4 | 2–4 | |
 Purdue | 2–4 | 2–4 | |
 Michigan State | 2–5 | 2–5 | |
| Illinois | 2–6 | 2–6 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.