It's been a long three years, but Wisconsin football finally has a number next to its name.

The Badgers crashed the AP Top 25 Poll after their massive Week 8 win, checking in at No. 25 in the country following their upset win over No. 16 USC. This is the first time since Week 2 of the 2023 season that Wisconsin has been ranked in the AP Top 25.

Wisconsin flirted with a top-25 ranking earlier in the year. After their upset win over then-No. 13 Penn State, the Badgers were the unofficial No. 26 team in the country as the team outside the rankings receiving the most votes.

They followed that up with a dominant win over Michigan State, but technically slipped in the ranking, as they remained unranked as the third team outside the AP poll receiving the most votes after Week 5. An ugly loss in their next game on the road at UCLA dashed any chances of being ranked; Wisconsin stopped receiving votes after their Week 7 defeat in Pasadena.

After their second top-20 upset win of the season, perched at 5-2 (3-1 Big Ten), Wisconsin is finally back in the national rankings for the first time since the first season of the Luke Fickell tenure.

Wisconsin's only two losses are to the currently No. 5-ranked Notre Dame and No. 7-ranked UCLA.

How the rest of the Big Ten shakes out

Here's how Big Ten teams stacked up in the AP Top 25 following Week 8:

- Ohio State (2)
- Indiana (4)
- UCLA (7)
- Northwestern (20)
- Wisconsin (25)

Also receiving votes is Iowa with 76 points and Minnesota with seven points.

What's next for Wisconsin

Sitting at No. 25, there's no room for error if Wisconsin wants to remain ranked. The Badgers are going to have to pull off another big-time win over Iowa on the road on Halloween on Big Noon kickoff. Iowa is the unofficial No. 26 team in the nation as the program receiving the most votes outside the AP Top 25.

Iowa has had Luke Fickell's number at Wisconsin. The last two games were embarrassing blowout losses at the hands of the Hawkeyes, with a combined score of 79-10. If Wisconsin really is who it says it is, it will find a way to stack victories and exorcise the Iowa demons that've plagued it for three straight seasons.

Iowa is an early -2.5-point favorite on FanDuel Sportsbook.

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