History tells us Badgers preseason rankings rarely accurate

If you take stock of these preseason polls then you'll be happy to know Wisconsin football was ranked 23rd today in the Preseason AP poll. That's the exact same ranking Wisconsin got in the USA Today Coaches Poll released earlier this offseason. 

The 23rd ranking is the lowest Wisconsin has had since the 2006 season, where UW ended up being ranked No. 7 in the nation. 

Overall the Badgers have started out the season ranked 24 times in school history, which ranks them 22nd all-time in appearances in the Preseason AP Poll. You can check out a full breakdown of every year's ranking below:

Season		RK		PTS		FPV		Final
2013		23		185		0		TBD
2012		12		838		0		RV
2011		11		900		0		10
2010		12		822		0		7
2008		13		771		0		TBD
2007		7		1192		0		24
2006		NR						7
2005		NR						15
2004		21		328		0		17
2003		21		350		0		TBD
2002		25		193		0		TBD
2001		22		237		0		TBD
2000		4		1408		1		23
1999		10		1091		0		4
1998		20		444		0		6
1997		24		198		0		TBD
1995		21		270		0		TBD
1994		10		932		0		TBD
1963		7		234		0		TBD
1961		NR						TBD
1960		NR						TBD
1959		6		645		10		6
1958		14		100		0		7
1955		14		150		0		TBD
1954		9		383		1		9
1953		RV		5				15
1952		7		534		4		11
1951		15		105		0		8

Interestingly, Wisconsin failed to appear on 18 AP voters ballots, including names like Andy Staples and Sam Werner to name a few. UW's highest ranking was 15th by Tom Murphy. Tom Mulhern, the Badger beat writer for the Wisconsin State Journal ranked Wisconsin 21st in his ballot. You can check out the full breakdown of who voted where and how here.

Overall, the Big Ten saw five teams land in the polls, with Ohio State being ranked No. 2 behind obvious No. 1 Alabama. The SEC led all conferences with six entrants in the Preseason poll, five of which were ranked inside the Top 10 to start the season off. 

Following OSU in the Big Ten was Michigan (No. 17), Nebraska (No. 18), Northwestern (No. 22), and obviously UW. Not a single Big Ten teams' ranking is different between the two polls either. 

So, if fortune favors the nearly unranked it could mean the Badgers are in for a heck of a season ahead. At least that's what Preseason AP Poll history tells us – the lower the ranking or the unranked UW usually ends up much higher when all the dust settles around them.