35. Wisconsin 17, Iowa 9 (2016)

After a 4-0 start, including big wins over No. 5 LSU and No. 8 Michigan State, both away from Camp Randall Stadium, the Wisconsin Badgers dropped two straight, losing by a touchdown at Michigan and at home against Ohio State in overtime. Wisconsin faced a must-win game in order to make another trip to Indianapolis and the Big Ten Championship game. The game was a tough road game in a tough environment, Iowa City. Despite Bucky having won the previous three meetings there, it is still a nightmare to play at. The Badgers held Iowa to 236 yards of total offense and a third quarter touchdown by Corey Clement proved to be the difference as Wisconsin earned the win and it brought the Heartland Trophy back to Madison, ending Iowa’s six-game trophy game win streak.

There aren’t many people who could break a tackle from All-Big Ten linebacker Josey Jewell. But that is exactly what happened on one of the key plays of the contest. With a little less than four minutes to play and Wisconsin clinging to a 14-6 lead, the Badgers faced a 3^rd-and-1 from their own 29. Quarterback Alex Hornibrook handed the ball to Clement who found no room up the middle and tried bouncing it to the right, where he met the All-Big Ten linebacker in the backfield at the 27. Clement slipped the tackle using a stiff arm and escaped down the sideline for 34 yards to the Iowa 37.

The rushing attack helped set up an Andrew Endicott 36-yard field goal, which solidified the big win for Wisconsin. That field goal turned out to be huge, as Desmond King returned the ensuing kickoff 77 yards down to the 23. Iowa’s Keith Duncan booted a 25-yard field goal to cut it to 17-9. But the Hawkeyes had an illegal procedure penalty on the onside kick attempt and the Badgers proceeded to take a knee to finish off the dub.

The contest remained scoreless for nearly the first 20 minutes. The Badgers embarked on a 58-yard drive, which finished with a Bart Houston touchdown pass to tight end Troy Fumagalli.

Iowa finished the half with consecutive field goals to cut it to 7-6 at recess. However, the Badgers had a chance to score a touchdown in between those two Iowa drives. Hornibrook threw to tight end for Kyle Penniston for 54 yards down to the Hawkeyes 5. But on 3^rd-and-Goal from the 1, Clement fumbled and it was recovered by King in the end zone.

A Hornibrook pass to freshman wide receiver Quintez Cephus for 57 yards early in the second half set up a touchdown to make it 14-6. The ball was given to Clement three times and he ran the five yards for the score.

Prior to the Wisconsin field goal, Iowa drove down the field, but Duncan missed a 38-yard field goal to keep the Badgers in front by eight.

The victory set the Badgers up for another Big Ten West title. It began a six-game winning streak leading to another Big Ten Championship game appearance. Despite the fact that Colin Cowherd said they’d go 6-6 on the season, the Badgers finished 10-2 in the regular season and 11-3 overall, ending with a win in the Cotton Bowl over P.J. Fleck and Western Michigan.

36. Wisconsin 23, Georgia State 17 (2016)

Bucky was riding high after a big upset over LSU in week one at Lambeau Field and following that up with a 54-10 win over Akron, avoiding the letdown. However, their letdown came in week three against a Georgia State team that had been outscored in its first two games 79-35 to Ball State and Air Force. The Badgers were looking ahead to a top-10 matchup the following week in East Lansing against Michigan State. Wisconsin actually trailed 17-13 in the fourth quarter in this one before coming back to score the final 10 points to escape with the six-point win.

After Georgia State had scored two consecutive touchdowns to take a 17-13 lead with less than 12 minutes to play, the Badgers got serious. Wisconsin scored 10 points to finish the game. It all started with a 41-yard kick return by Ogunbowale to give the home team really nice starting field position. It took Bucky eight plays to grab the lead back. The big play was a 29-yard pass from quarterback Alex Hornibrook to tight end Kyle Penniston. The Badgers faced one third down on the drive, and it was the last play of the possession, a 3^rd-and-Goal from the 1, in which Hornibrook again found Penniston to give Bucky the lead back, one the home team would not relinquish.

A stop from the Wisconsin defense led to a field goal from Rafael Gaglianone to give Bucky the six-point lead with three and a half minutes left. The defense forced another 3-and-out and GSU took the chance by punting the ball back to the Badgers.

Bad decision. Ogunbowale gained nine yards on two carries, forcing the Panthers to burn their timeout. On third down with the game on the line, the Badgers turned to fullback Alec Ingold to seal the win. On the 3^rd-and-1, he plowed ahead for four to finish the game. The game should not have been that close since Wisconsin out-gained GSU by nearly 100 and the Panthers finished the season 3-9. But as Chris Berman would say, “that is why they play the game.”

Wisconsin dominated the first quarter, but the Badgers only led 6-0. They held GSU to minus-3 yards of offense in the first quarter and minus-14 in their first two drives. After a fumble gave the Badgers the ball early in the second quarter at the Panthers 23, Wisconsin had a chance to create distance. It helped even more that Bradrick Shaw gained 15 on the first carry following the turnover. But on 3^rd-and-Goal at the 1, Shaw was stuffed at the line of scrimmage and he fumbled, which was recovered by the Panthers.

The score remained 6-0 at the half. Wisconsin fans surely got a little nervous when Gaglianone missed a 30-yard field goal to end the half.

Wisconsin punted on its first second half drive and Georgia State’s Rogier Ten Lohuis booted a 45-yard field goal to cut it to 6-3.

Then Paul Chryst made a change.

Chryst brought in freshman quarterback Alex Hornibrook to replace Bart Houston. On the freshman’s first drive, he led the Badgers down the field for a touchdown. With Wisconsin facing a 3^rd-and-10, he found Jazz Peavy for 29 yards. That was followed up with a 19-yard completion to George Rushing and patient 19-yard run by Ogunbowale. Dare blasted in from two yards out to expand the lead.

Most people thought the Badgers would begin to take control. Think again.

On the next drive, Georgia State converted a 3^rd-and-9 with a 40-yard completion to Glenn Smith. That set up the Panthers get right back in the game with Conner Manning throwing a beautiful back shoulder fade at the goal line to Robert Davis.

Things got even more interesting when Hornibrook’s pass on the next possession went through an open receiver’s hands at Panthers 36 and into the arms of current Green Bay Packer Chandon Sullivan at the 32.

Two plays later, Manning found Smith for 60 yards down to the Badgers 9. On the next play, Kyler Neal scampered in virtually untouched to give the Panthers the lead.

But that set up the Badgers late game heroics from Hornibrook and Penniston.

This was the second of eight games decided by one score. The Badgers also won as they prepared for four of the next five games against top 10 teams. They went on to have a very successful season, finishing 11-3 and defeating P.J. Fleck in the Cotton Bowl, which makes it even sweeter.

37. Wisconsin 31, Maryland 24 (2015)

The Badgers were on a roll heading into the game. Wisconsin was 7-2 and had won seven of its previous eight. Since that loss to Alabama, the Badgers had held seven of the eight opponents to fewer than 14 points. Maryland, in its second season with the Big Ten, was 2-6, and in the midst of a non-bowl season once again. Despite their record, the Terrapins played right with the Badgers and were tied with the Big Ten power at halftime. But once again, the defense bowed up and didn’t allow another score until fewer than three minutes remained in the game. Meanwhile, the make shift offense tallied touchdowns from Alec Ingold and Dare Ogunbowale to come away with a 31-24 victory.

The score was 17-17 at the half and the Badgers needed a win to keep their slim hopes of a repeat trip to the Big Ten Championship game. Wisconsin quarterback Joel Stave came out smokin’ in the second half, leading his team to two consecutive touchdown drives in the third quarter to take a 31-17 lead.

On the two touchdown drives, Stave was 8-for-9 for 118 yards, including completing three passes to his favorite target Alex Erickson for 66 yards. His tremendous passing set Wisconsin up for rushing touchdowns by Ingold and Ogunbowale to gain separation.

The Terrapins gained just 47 yards in their first five possessions of the second half, but Bucky could not insert the dagger. Wisconsin had a perfect opportunity to do just that when Tanner McEvoy picked off Maryland quarterback Caleb Rowe and returned it to the Terps 29. But the offense didn’t do much and Rafael Gaglianone misfired on a 42-yard field goal.

Maryland drove 76 yards in 1:27, ending it with a touchdown pass from Rowe to Lavern Jacobs to cut it to 31-24. However, Wisconsin recovered the onside kick and burned off the remaining time thanks to a quarterback sneak by Stave on fourth down at the Terps 35 to finish off the Badgers win.

Wisconsin may have won the game, but Maryland started fast. After each team punted to begin the contest, Maryland dented the scoreboard first. It did help that the Badgers’ Drew Meyer punted the ball 24 yards to the Wisconsin 32. It took the Terps just four plays to find the end zone, aided by a pass interference penalty on Badgers cornerback Sojourn Shelton. The Terrapins scored first on a Wes Brown 7-yard run.

But the Badgers wasted little time answering, as Natrell Jamerson returned the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown down the right sideline.

The Badgers took the lead thanks to a gutsy call on their next drive.

Facing a 4^th-and-1 from his own 22, Wisconsin Head Coach Paul Chryst rolled the dice. Lining up to punt, the snap went to punt protector Joe Schobert and the linebacker rumbled for 57 yards, all the way down to the Terps 21. One play later, Ogunbowale found space and ran in for a 21-yard score.

The teams traded field goals before Maryland scored to end the half, as Rowe found D.J. Moore down the sideline for a 40-yard touchdown on a 3^rd-and-17. Following another shanked Badgers punt, they lost eight on a sack by Jack Cichy to force them into the long third down. Rowe had missed on his previous six pass attempts, but he threw a beautiful pass down the left sideline to Moore, who was tightly covered by Derrick Tindal.

The score was tied going into recess, but the Wisconsin defense was suffocating in the second half to lead the Badgers to victory.

It was the final win of five consecutive. It should have been eight in a row, but the Badgers were jobbed by the replay crew against Northwestern in a 13-7 loss the following week at Camp Randall. But the Badgers rebounded to retain Paul Bunyan’s Axe in Minneapolis and earned a win in the Holiday Bowl over Juju Smith-Schuster and USC.

38. Wisconsin 31, Florida Atlantic 14 (2017)

Wisconsin entered the second game of the season coming off a 59-10 win over Utah State. They played against a what turned out to be really good Florida Atlantic team led by coach Lane Kiffin and running back Devin Singletary. The Badgers jumped out to a 14-0 lead, but the Owls were never put away until the second half. This game was significant due to the fact that the starting running back going into the season, Bradrick Shaw, missed the game due to injury, so a freshman running back by the name of Jonathan Taylor was given his first career start.

Spoiler alert: He didn’t give the starting role back.

The stud running back wasted little time making an impact. On his second carry, he rushed for 18 yards and a first down. Wisconsin had to punt on its first drive, but on its second possession, Taylor went to the house. He received the handoff from quarterback Alex Hornibrook and blasted up the middle 64 yards for the touchdown.

He was only just beginning.

On the Badgers next possession, he recorded an even better run. On 1^st-and-10 from the FAU 29, Taylor received the handoff and broke an arm tackle right when he received the handoff and bounced to the left. All the found were Owl defenders. But he broke no fewer than four more tackles before seeing green in front of him, scampering in for the score to increase the advantage to 14-0. Overall, the freshman ran for 223 yards.

With Hurricane Irma ready to hit Florida, the Owls could have mailed it in, but they didn’t. FAU fought back into the game with a touchdown pass from Daniel Parr to a wide open DeAndre McNeal down the right sideline for the 63-yard score. If that didn’t help gain confidence, the Owls stopped the Badgers on a fourth down at the 1.

Unfortunately for FAU, though, it could not pick up a first and had to punt, which was booted out of bounds at the Owls 39-yard line. Four plays later, Hornibrook found tight end Troy Fumagalli on the left side of the end zone for the score to make it a 14-point lead again.

The Badgers tried to supply the knockout blow before the end of the half, but Hornibrook was picked off by Leighton McCarthy, who returned it to the Wisconsin 27. FAU fought right back. A Parr completion to Harrison Bryant helped the Owls reach the doorstep and Singletary scored on the next play. On the afternoon, Singletary ran for 68 yards on 17 carries and the touchdown against the vaunted Badgers defense.

A late drive set up a field goal to end the half with the Badgers in front 24-14.

The Badgers defense took over in the second half, forcing FAU to punt on all six of its second half possessions, surrendering just two first downs and allowing just 20 yards of total offense. Parr couldn’t get anything done against the Badgers suffocating defense, going 3-of-8 for 13 yards in the second half and was sacked as many times as he had pass completions.

Wisconsin grinded the Owls to death, rushing for 357 yards in the game. The Badgers finally put the game away late in the third quarter with an 11-play, 79-yard drive, which was finished off by Taylor’s third score of the game.

FAU didn’t threaten again and the Badgers began the season with a 2-0 record before heading on the road for a date with BYU. Wisconsin finished a historic regular season undefeated before falling in the Big Ten championship. But the Badgers were able to rebound with a win in the Orange Bowl against Miami and its ‘Turnover chain.’

Lane Kiffin’s bunch lost two weeks later at Buffalo by a field goal, but did not lose again for the remainder of the season following that one, ending the season with a 50-3 annihilation of Akron in the Boca Raton Bowl to finish the season 11-3.

39. Wisconsin 24, Northwestern 15 (2019)

Despite the success of the Wisconsin Badgers football program the past several years, the Northwestern Wildcats have always been a thorn in the side of the Badgers. To this day, Wisconsin has won just once this millennium on the road against Northwestern. Even games at Camp Randall are generally closer than supposed to be. This one was no different. The Wildcats came in at 1-2 with the only win coming against UNLV. In the two games against major conference teams, Northwestern had scored a total of 17 points in the two games, including being blasted by a mediocre Michigan State team 31-10 the week before. Wisconsin, on the other hand, had allowed just 14 points total in the first three games, including two shutouts. The Badgers were coming off a demolition of No. 11 Michigan in Madison by the score of 35-14.

The game was a defensive struggle, as neither team reached 260 yards of total offense. The Cats actually finished with more total yards than Wisconsin, but the Badgers scored twice defensively to give the Badgers a 24-3 lead in the fourth quarter. But the Badgers had to hold on as Northwestern scored twice in the span of five minutes made the game interesting. However, the defense held strong twice in two-point attempts and the Badgers went to 4-0.

There were just 10 points total scored through the first 42 minutes of the game (seven for Wisconsin, three for Northwestern), but the Wisconsin defense came away with the biggest play of the game with two and a half minutes left in the third quarter. On the first play of the from its own 16 for Northwestern , Wisconsin safety Eric Burrell blitzed off the edge and nobody picked him up. Wildcat quarterback Hunter Johnson didn’t see him coming and was blasted, losing the ball in the process. Defensive end Matt Henningsen fell on the ball in the end zone to give Bucky a bit of breathing room with a 14-3 lead.

In the fourth quarter with the Badgers leading 17-3, the defense struck again. The Wildcats had matriculated the ball down the field into Wisconsin territory at the 45. On third down, new Northwestern quarterback Aidan Smith went back to pass and was hit as he threw by fierce edge rusher Zack Baun. The ball floated into the air and it was intercepted by fellow linebacker Noah Burks. The Carmel, Indiana, native ran 68 yards down the left sideline for the touchdown to give the Badgers the 24-3 lead.

Smith led the Wildcats to two consecutive touchdowns in a matter of three possessions, but they went for two both times and failed. Smith’s 15-yard touchdown pass to JJ Jefferson cut the deficit to 24-15. The Wildcats tried to get the two back they missed last time, but the conversion failed.

They had one more opportunity and moved it into Wisconsin territory, but a Colin Wilder sack backed the Wildcats up and the Badgers defense forced a turnover on downs and it cemented the nine-point win.

While the Badgers didn’t score their second touchdown until late in the third, Bucky took the opening kickoff and drove down the field for the opening score. Jonathan Taylor was featured on the opening possession, rushing six times for 27 yards and adding a 16-yard catch on third down. It took the Badgers 10 plays to travel 54 yards, but they finally broke through. On a 4^th-and-1 from the Wildcats 13, Taylor broke through and strolled into the end zone for the opening score.

Wisconsin had a chance to put distance between itself and its friends from Evanston when the Badgers forced a punt from inside its 5 with less than four minutes to play in the first quarter. The punt was fair caught by Jack Dunn at the Northwestern 5. However, there was a facemask penalty on the punt by Rachad Wildgoose, which bailed out the Windy City Kitties. The next three plays resulted in a total of 68 yards by Northwestern, setting up the Cats for a short field goal to cut it to 7-3.

The offenses were stagnant until the fourth quarter with neither team posting more than three first downs on any drive until the final period. But the Badgers defense was able to make the Cats pay for their mistakes.

Bucky began the season 6-0 before an upset loss at Illinois, but the Badgers rebounded for a Big Ten West title and berth in the Rose Bowl for the fourth time in 10 seasons.

40. Wisconsin 17, Purdue 9 (2017)

Wisconsin and Purdue have played some memorable games over the years, but this one is more in the meh category. The Badgers were able to escape with the game, but the game should never have been this close. Wisconsin had three crucial turnovers, which kept the Boilermakers in the game.

But at the end of the day, Leon Jacobs made one of the plays of the year, picking off Elijah Sindelar on a 2^nd-and-Goal at the 7 and Wisconsin played keep away for the final 8:14, rattling off 77 yards in 16 plays to seal the Badgers 6-0 start. The Badgers outgained Purdue 494-221 and 295-66 on the ground, but the Badgers had to escape with the 8-point win. This victory was the only time during the historic 2017 Wisconsin season that Bucky won by only one score.

Prior to the massive interception by Jacobs, the Badgers were on the brink of putting the game away early in the fourth quarter. With Bucky leading 17-9, Wisconsin quarterback Alex Hornibrook went deep to wide receiver Quintez Cephus for 41 yards down to the Purdue 5. But on the first play of the fourth quarter, star running back Jonathan Taylor fumbled and the Boilermakers recovered.

The teams traded punts, but Purdue was on the verge of scoring the tying touchdown when Sindelar hit Brycen Hopkins for 31 yards down to the Badgers 10. Two plays later, Jacobs made the huge play. On 2^nd-and-Goal at the Badgers 7, Sindelar went back to pass and could not find anyone open. Finally, Wisconsin nose tackle Olive Sagapolu broke through to put pressure on the Purdue signal caller. Sindelar threw it off his back foot for freshman wide receiver Jackson Anthrop, but Jacobs stepped in front to make the clutch interception along the right sideline.

Wisconsin never gave the football back to the visitors.

The Badgers traveled 77 yards in 16 plays to close the book on the game. They converted three third downs on the drive, but none were bigger than the first one. Facing a 3^rd-and-12 at his own 11, Hornibrook connected with Kendric Pryor for 20 yards to move the sticks to the 31. Hornibrook also connected with Cephus for seven yards on a 3^rd-and-6 at Boilermakers 31. The final third down conversion came on a Taylor 2-yard carry on 3^rd-and-2 with a minute and a half left. Ball game. Drive home safely.

Even though the Badgers came away with the win, it looked like it would be a rout early on. On the third play of the game, Wisconsin faced a 3^rd-and-2. For the third consecutive play, Taylor received the handoff. The fabulous freshman blasted up the middle and through the Purdue defense for a 67-yard touchdown scamper.

Hornibrook dominated the second drive, as the sophomore completed all four of his passing attempts on the march, including a 14-yard toss to Cephus for the score to make it 14-0,

Purdue came right back with a field goal and then picked off Hornibrook on a 2^nd-and-11 play at the Purdue 36. Da'Wan Hunte did the honors for the Boilermakers, returning the interception 42 yards to the Wisconsin 44.

The visitors made life difficult for the favorites, as the Boilers blocked a punt, which set up a field goal and then the teams traded field goals to end the half, and Wisconsin lead 17-6 in an action packed first 30 minutes.

As fun as the first half was, the second was a defensive struggle. The Badgers tried to keep Purdue in the game, turning the ball over on their first two drives of the second half, both of which were well inside Purdue territory. The first Boilermakers takeaway resulted in a field goal to cut the Wisconsin lead to 17-9. Taylor’s fumble was on the ensuing drive.

That helped set up the big finish with Jacobs’ big interception in the red zone. The final drive, despite not scoring, was the epitome of a Wisconsin drive. Run it down the opponent’s throat, converting big third downs and milking the clock and coming away with the victory. It was one of the more important drives of the season and it did not even result in any points.

The win was the sixth straight to begin the season in which would be a historic season. The Badgers finished off the regular season 12-0 before falling by six in the Big Ten Championship. But they rebounded for a road victory in the Orange Bowl over Miami to finish off the best season in program history.

41. Wisconsin 48, Illinois 3 (2016)

Another day, another Illinois game in the countdown. This is the fourth game against the Illini in the countdown through the first 10. In this one, the Badgers forced four first half interceptions from Jeff George Jr. as the Badgers built a big first quarter lead and they never looked back as they crushed the Fighting Illini by 45. This game was the preceding game to the last game on our countdown, the 49-20 win at Purdue. After punting on their opening possession, the Badgers scored four touchdowns in their next four drives to put the game out of reach early. They out-gained Illinois 455-200 and the result certainly showed that, as Wisconsin aimed to head to the Big Ten Championship game for fourth time in six seasons.

After trading punts to begin the contest, the Badgers grabbed the lead on their second possession. It was a short 51-yard drive that began with a toss from Alex Hornibrook to Jazz Peavy for 17 yards to the 34 of the Illini. Three runs by Corey Clement later and the Badgers were in the end zone.

Clement found the end zone again after Wisconsin safety D’Cota Dixon ended the Illini drive with the first of George’s four first half interceptions. His return to the 8 set up Clement’s touchdown run to quickly make it 14-0.

Illinois drove down for a field goal on its next drive, but that is all the Illini offense could generate all game long. Wisconsin virtually ended the game with two touchdowns on its next two drives with George’s second interception sandwiching the two touchdowns. Hornibrook threw scores to Peavy and tight end Kyle Penniston and it was 28-3.

Unlike the 2016 New England Patriots, this Illinois team had no chance at mounting the huge comeback. They reached the brink of the red zone on its next drive, but Chase McLaughlin missed a 39-yard field goal. Its final two drives of the half ended the same way—with George interceptions. Andrew Endicott booted home a 37-yard field goal following the second interception to close out the half with the Badgers leading 31-3.

The game never got any better for the visitors, as Illinois gained just 40 total yards of offense in the entire second half and only two first downs. On the other side, the Badgers scored on each of their first three possessions in the half and the rout was on.

Endicott booted home a short field goal on the first drive and Clement and Bradrick Shaw each scored touchdowns to give the Badgers the 48-3 lead. In those two scoring marches, the Badgers threw exactly one pass, a 6-yard pass from Hornibrook to Shaw on the opening play of the second touchdown possession.

It was the fourth consecutive win in six straight to finish the regular season, helping Bucky reach the Cotton Bowl and finish the season with a victory over PJ Fleck and Western Michigan.

42. Wisconsin 49, Purdue 20 (2016)

The Badgers were a surprising team in 2016. Beginning the season unranked, Wisconsin burst onto the season with a win over No. 5 LSU. Bucky won the first four before dropping a pair of heartbreakers to Michigan and Ohio State. The Badgers rebounded for four straight, though, heading into a game in West Lafayette against the 3-7 Purdue Boilermakers, who had lost five in a row and had given up an average of 45.4 points per game in those contests. The matchup was looked at as a ‘name your score’ type of game and it turned out to be just that. Purdue began the game well defensively, but a 35-point second quarter turned the tide and the Badgers ran away with a 49-20 win in West Lafayette, their seventh consecutive victory at Ross-Ade Stadium.

Wisconsin began the game slow, gaining 38 yards in its first two drives, both ending in punts. Purdue converted a 14-play drive into a short field goal to give the Boilermakers the 3-0 lead after the first quarter. On its second possession, Purdue drove into Wisconsin territory, but were ultimately stopped by the Badgers defense on 3^rd-and-9 from the 41.

The Badgers took four and a half minutes to go 87 yards to give the team the lead for good. Bradrick Shaw started the drive with a 31-yard jaunt on the second play to move them out of jail. Quarterback Bart Houston converted a 3^rd-and-8 to 3^rd-and-12 with passes to running back Dare Ogunbowale for 34 and 18 yards, respectively. That set up a 1-yard plunge from fullback Alec Ingold to give Bucky the advantage. It was the first of five second quarter touchdowns.

On the first play following the Wisconsin touchdown, future NFL star TJ Watt knocked out the Boilermakers. Purdue quarterback David Blough rolled to his left and threw it and Watt picked it out of the air and strolled in for the 17-yard pick six.

Bradrick Shaw scored on a 7-yard touchdown on their next drive to make it 21-3. The biggest play of the drive came on a 2^nd-and-14 with a Houston pass to Robert Wheelwright for 20 yards to move to the 20. Three plays later, Shaw ran in to give Bucky the 18-point lead.

That touchdown was proceeded by another interception, which was batted at the line of scrimmage. Blough tried to bat down the ball like he was a cat batting at a ball of yarn, but he failed and it was intercepted by TJ Edwards. The Badgers wasted no time to cash in, as Houston found Ingold on the wheel route to give the Badgers a 28-3 lead on the first play following the pick.

Down 28-3, Purdue tried to play the role of the New England Patriots, as Blough found future Green Bay Packers draft pick DeAngelo Yancey for 75 yards to cut it to 28-10. But Wisconsin would not cooperate in the Boilers comeback attempt as Shaw scored another touchdown, blasting up the middle for 33 yards. On the score, the play was blocked beautifully and Shaw looked for someone to hit him at the second level, but no one was there. He rolled in untouched to give the Badgers the 25-point lead once again.

Purdue entered Badgers territory again, but Leo Musso picked off Blough at the end of the half and the Badgers held the 35-10 advantage at recess.

The home team had a chance to try to fight a bit back, as they recovered a muffed punt by Jazz Peavy at the Wisconsin 41. It led to a field goal to cut it to 35-13, but that wasn’t enough as the defense struggled to stop the high-powered Badgers offense.

Corey Clement rushed for 28 yards in the 62-yard drive to put the game away. Houston found Ogunbowale again on third down to move the sticks again. The Badgers faced two third downs on the drive. The pass to Ogunbowale was the first and the touchdown pass from Houston to Peavy was the second. Peavy atoned for his muffed punt by catching a 25-yard touchdown on a perfectly placed ball over the middle.

A running into the kicker penalty kept the next Wisconsin drive alive. The Badgers cashed in, converting two fourth downs and Clement finished the 15-play drive with a 6-yard touchdown. Purdue scored with four minutes left to finish off the scoring on a Bucky beat down.

The Badgers earned the Big Ten West crown when Nebraska was crushed at Iowa on Black Friday, but following a come-from-behind win at home against Minnesota, the Badgers blew a 28-7 lead to Penn State in Indianapolis. But Bucky rebounded to beat PJ Fleck and Western Michigan in the Cotton Bowl at Jerry World.

43. Wisconsin 24, Illinois 13 (2015)

With three in the first eight games on this list being contests against Illinois, I guess it is safe to say most of the games against the Illini are pretty meh. Winning ugly was the name of the game for the 2015 Badgers with all their injuries, especially the one to stud running back Corey Clement in the opening game against Alabama. Other than the 58-0 win over Miami (OH), the Badgers hadn’t scored more than 28 points in any of the other six games, which included games against Troy and Hawaii, who combined to go 7-18 on the season. Illinois came in at 4-2 and were 4-0 at home at Memorial Stadium. The previous week, the Illini played right with an Iowa team that finished the regular season undefeated. It was a good game, but two second half touchdowns gave Bucky a come-from-behind victory over Illinois.

Each team punted the first two times it had the ball, but it set up for a wild second quarter. Illinois had an 18-yard drive off a short Wisconsin punt, which set up a field goal. Wisconsin responded with an 89-yard drive, which got started on a 35-yard pass from Joel Stave to Dare Ogunbowale. The Badgers took the lead on a terrific 23-yard touchdown catch by Robert Wheelwright. The Badgers wide receiver caught a back shoulder throw from Stave at the 5 and dove into the end zone for the score.

Wisconsin had a chance to improve the advantage before halftime, as the Badgers had the ball at the Illini 3 with less than a minute to play in the first half. But Bart Houston was picked off in the end zone by Eaton Spence, so Wisconsin had to settle for a 10-6 lead at recess.

Illinois stormed back to take the lead midway through the third quarter on a 36-yard touchdown run by Ke'Shawn Vaughn to make it 13-10 Illini. It was a five play, 86-yard drive in which four of the plays went for at least 15 yards. Quarterback Wes Lunt went 3-for-4 for 50 yards on the possession, which helped set the home team up for the lead.

But Wisconsin in the season 2015 was extremely resilient. The Badgers had an 86-yard drive of their own to respond to Illinois’ touchdown march. Alex Erickson began their possession with a 56-yard run to move all the way to the Illini 30. Seven plays later, fullback Alec Ingold blasted in from two yards out to re-take the lead for Bucky. Either by rush or reception, Erickson accounted for 73 of the 86 yards on the touchdown march. The visitors never relinquished the lead.

Following a punt, the Badgers put the game away. Wisconsin converted four third downs on a 65-yard drive to give Bucky a two-score advantage. At their own 45, Houston threw to Erickson for 23 yards on a massive 3^rd-and-12. Erickson had 10 catches for 96 yards and a touchdown, which capped off this possession. The score came on 3^rd-and-Goal at the 9 when Houston zipped the ball over the middle to a Erickson, who caught the pass which was a little behind him, and the Badgers had a two-score lead.

Illinois had chances to come back, reaching Wisconsin territory in two of its final three drives, but could not march inside the 30 and turned it over twice and turned it over on downs the other drive. That included an impressive interception from Michael Caputo to seal the deal in the Badgers win.

Wisconsin had ugly win after ugly win in 2015, and it was without a doubt Chryst’s most brilliant coaching job with what he had to work with after the Gary Andersen era. The Badgers finished off with 10 wins and a win in the Holiday Bowl over USC.

44. Wisconsin 38, Maryland 13 (2017)

Bucky was in the midst of a historic season and were 6-0 heading into the game against Maryland for Homecoming. Wisconsin was rolling along beating teams by an average of 26 points per game in the first five games before needing a fourth quarter stop to beat an average Purdue team at Camp Randall Stadium.

The Badgers jumped out to a 21-3 lead at half and didn’t look back, knocking off the Terps by 25 to send the fans home happy.

Maryland actually had a nice start to the game, moving 28 yards on its first three plays to move into Wisconsin territory. But everything changed after a sack by Olive Sagapolu pushed the Terrapins back into their own territory. On third down, the defense recorded its fourth pick six of the season when Garret Dooley annihilated Maryland quarterback Max Bortenschlager as he threw and the pass went into the arms of T.J. Edwards, who returned the pick 54 yards for the game’s first score.

However, things weren’t going so well offensively for the Badgers, as they turned the ball over on their first two possessions, including a fumble by Jonathan Taylor at their own 5. Future Packers safety Darnell Savage recovered the fumble, but the Badgers defense stood tall, not allowing any yards in the three plays and forcing Maryland to settle for a short field goal to cut it to 7-3.

The Badgers came right back down the field, though, and punched it in to take control of the game. The Badgers embarked on a 70-yard drive, in which quarterback Alex Hornibrook completed 5-of-6 passes for 74 yards, including a 30-yard pass to Quintez Cephus, which set up the 3-yard touchdown run from Taylor.

Wisconsin out the game away late in the first half when it traveled 85 yards in 12 plays to put the home team in front 21-3. Hornibrook found Zander Neuville in the end zone for an 8-yard score with a half minute left in the first half. The Badgers had a chance to add more points at the end of the half, Joe Ferguson recovered a Jake Funk fumble on the ensuing kick return, but Rafael Gaglianone missed a 39-yard field goal at the end of the half.

Hornibrook led the Badgers to another touchdown to begin the half, going 4-for-5 for 65 yards, including completing his final two passes of the drive for a total of 41 yards and a touchdown to A.J. Taylor.

The Terps made a bit of a comeback to cut it to 28-13 with 10 consecutive points, but the visitors couldn’t create another stop to try to make the game even closer. A 76-yard drive was capped off by the Badgers with an Austin Ramesh 1-yard plunge to make it 35-13 and Gaglianone capped the scoring with a field goal in the final minute to make it 38-13 Bucky.

Wisconsin proceeded to go through the entire regular season undefeated, something that hadn’t happened in more than a century. Only one of the 12 games was even a one-score game and even that one was only close due to Badgers turnovers. They capped off a historic 13-1 season with a win at Miami in the Orange Bowl.

45. Wisconsin 58, Miami (OH) 0 (2015)

Wisconsin came home to Madison after falling to eventual national champion Alabama in its opener at Jerry World. The Badgers were hurting, as starting running back Corey Clement and starting safety Michael Caputo both left the Alabama game early. Clement went on to miss most of the season. The Badgers wondered where the offense would come from, as Clement was going to be the guy after being behind Melvin Gordon for a few years. Well, Wisconsin found other ways to score, as much-maligned quarterback Joel Stave threw for 236 yards and three touchdowns and the defense forced four turnovers and held the RedHawks to minus-3 yards on the ground en route to a 58-0 domination.

The offense took a bit to get going, as Wisconsin scored just six points in its first four possessions, leading 6-0. Stave connected three times with favorite target Alex Erickson for 53 yards on a 71-yard opening march, which resulted in a field goal. Bucky tallied another field goal off a fumble on a Miami punt return. But the offense didn’t get going until late in the first period.

Erickson returned a Christian Koch punt 36 yards down to the Miami 16. Three plays later, Stave found Robert Wheelwright for a 13-yard score to give the home team some breathing room.

The punt team remained on the sidelines for the remainder of the half, as Wisconsin scored 31 points in a in a span of six possessions to break the game open. Stave’s second touchdown, a 20-yard strike to tight end Austin Traylor made it 20-0. They tacked on another touchdown shortly after another RedHawks turnover. Miami quarterback Billy Bahl looked along the right sideline, but his pass was picked off by Tanner McEvoy, who returned it to the Miami 4, which set up a score by Taiwan Deal.

Bucky scored 10 points in the final minute of the half to put an exclamation point on a dominant second quarter. Stave threw to Wheelwright for his second score to cap a 93-yard drive, and following a 3-and-out, the Badgers tacked on three to end the half leading 37-0.

The score remained lopsided, as the Badgers tacked on three second half touchdowns to put the capper on a dominant performance. Deal scored his second touchdown of the game and Dare Ogunbowale added a touchdown in the quarter to put Bucky in front 51-0. Even Caleb Kinlaw got in on the fun, scoring a 5-yard touchdown on a toss from Bart Houston in the final quarter.

The defense allowed just 68 yards in the second half with 51 of them coming on one march from the RedHawks that resulted in an interception late in the third quarter.

It was the first of three consecutive win for the Badgers and a stretch in which they won eight of nine. This may have been the best coaching job in Chryst’s career, leading Wisconsin to a 10-3 record, as the offense lacked playmakers and Clement missed significant time. His two losses outside of the opener to Alabama were a 10-6 loss to Iowa in which the Badgers fumbled at the goal line or else Wisconsin would have punched it in for the lead score. And also the Badgers lost on a horrible overturned touchdown to Northwestern. Otherwise, the Badgers would have won another Big Ten West crown in what might have been his worst team talent-wise.

46. Wisconsin 49, Illinois 20 (2018)

The Badgers came in to the 2018 season with high aspirations, beginning the season at No. 4 in the polls. After two wins against subpar competition, the Badgers fell in a huge upset to BYU at Camp Randall Stadium. Following two wins at Iowa and at home against Nebraska, Wisconsin again took it on the chin in a 38-13 loss at Michigan with College Gameday in the house. The Badgers returned home to play 3-3 Illinois, which had given up at least 46 points in two of the last three games, including a 63-24 blowout loss to Penn State.

Wisconsin needed a pick-me-up following the Michigan blowout loss and it got just that. The Badgers hadn’t lost to the Fighting Illini since 2007 and in Camp Randall since 2002 and weren’t about to see those two streaks end. Wisconsin tallied 545 total yards and 357 rushing yards as the Badgers jumped out to an early 14-0 lead and rolled to a 49-20 win over the Illini.

 The game could not have started any better for the home team, as Wisconsin traveled 75 yards in 11 plays, capping off the drive with a 1-yard plunge from fullback Alec Ingold. The Badgers followed that up with an interception of AJ Bush, Jr. by linebacker T.J. Edwards, who returned it down to the Fighting Illini 25. Two plays later, Aron Cruickshank added to the lead with a 23-yard stroll to give Bucky a 14-0 advantage eight minutes into the game.

Illinois turned it over on three of its first four possessions, but Wisconsin just had the seven points to show for it. Rafael Gaglianone missed a 27-yard field goal following the final Illini turnover. Illinois gained confidence after the misfire, and it showed as star running back Reggie Corbin blasted 80 yards for a touchdown to cut the Badgers lead to 14-7.

The visitors could not keep that going, however, turning the ball over two more times on its next two drives, making it five in seven possessions. Illinois had a real chance to continue the comeback after its defense forced a 3-and-out following its touchdown, as the Illini started on their own 38 after the Badgers punt. Three plays later, the game changed when M.J. Rivers was picked off by Wisconsin nose tackle Olive Sagapolu. Jake Ferguson caught a 27-yard touchdown pass from Alex Hornibrook to put away the game in the first half.

Another Illinois turnover set up Wisconsin’s final touchdown of the first half, as Hornibrook found tight end Kyle Penniston for an 11-yard score to give the Badgers a 28-7 advantage. They threatened to increase the lead before the half, but Hornibrook was picked off by Stanley Green, who returned it to the Badgers 40. That set up a Chase McLaughlin 52-yard field goal to finish the half with the Badgers in front 28-10.

Hornibrook did his best to keep the visitors in the game, as he threw an interception to Jimmy Marchese on Wisconsin’s first drive of the second half. Illinois traveled 43 yards in two plays, capped off by a Ra'Von Bonner 18-yard jaunt to cut to 11, and people thought, “game on!”

The Wisconsin quarterback responded with a huge throw to put the Badgers in position to answer. With the home team facing 3^rd-and-9 on its own 39 with Illinois on the brink of trimming it even further, Hornibrook found Danny Davis for a 22-yard gain to move it to the Illini 39. Taiwan Deal took the carry and ran 39 yards for the score on the very next play to answer the Illini. Illinois would get no closer.

The Deal touchdown run was the first of three consecutive drives that resulted in Wisconsin touchdowns, as Deal had another rushing touchdown and Ingold recorded a receiving touchdown and the Badgers had their blowout victory.

Unfortunately, the win was short-lived, as Wisconsin fell to eventual Big Ten West champion Northwestern 31-17 in Evanston, a place where Bucky has only won once this millennium. The Badgers alternated wins and losses the remainder of the season, but finished the year on a high note with a domination of Miami in the Champs Sports Bowl.

47. Wisconsin 48, Rutgers 10 (2015)

The 2015 season was a rough season offensively for the Badgers. In the first four Big Ten games, Wisconsin averaged 19.3 points per game and had not scored more than 24 with the last three opponents finishing with a combined six wins in league play (Nebraska, Illinois, Purdue). The team was without star running back Corey Clement for much of the season after being hurt in the season opening loss to eventual National Champion Alabama. Clement came back for the game against home state team Rutgers and did not disappoint. The Scarlet Knights came into the game at 3-4, but a few weeks prior, they only lost by a touchdown to Michigan State, which went on to the College Football Playoff. They also poured in 55 in a win at Indiana.

But Wisconsin was ready from the jump.

The Badgers scored on their first two drives and got their ground game going. Dare Ogunbowale ran for 25 yards on the first possession on four carries, but 24 came on the first carry. With Wisconsin in front 3-0, Clement came in and made an instant impact. Following a 27-yard pass from Joel Stave to Alex Erickson, Clement wasted little time making his presence felt. He ran for two yards on his first carry, but he took his second 12 yards to the house.

Rutgers had cut it to 10-3, but Wisconsin put it away late in the half. A Stave pass to Erickson for a touchdown from 31 yards out made it 17-3. Erickson had six catches for 103 yards and the touchdown. Two possessions later, Clement showed what the Badgers had missed. With Bucky starting the drive at the Rutgers 28, Clement ran for seven on second down and followed that up with a burst through a hole for the 21-yard touchdown. The New Jersey native ran 11 times for 115 yards and three touchdowns. Ogunbowale ran for 41 yards on 14 carries, and only 17 yards on his final 13 totes. Wisconsin missed Corey when he was out.

The Badgers led 27-10 at the break and coasted the rest of the way. Wisconsijn put away the game midway through the thirf quarter after recovering a fumble at the Scarlet Knights 3. Three plays later, Clement plowed in for his third touchdown of the game to make it 34-10.

Rutgers picked off Stave and returned it for a score for its only score of the afternoon, but the Badgers responded with rushing touchdowns from Ogunbowale and Tanner McEvoy to put the finishing touches on the blowout victory.

Wisconsin’s offense continued to sputter due to the lack of a running game, but finished the season winning seven of eight and should have been eight in a row due to incompetent officiating at the end of the Northwestern game. The season ended with a Holiday Bowl win over Cody Kessler, Juju Smith-Schuster and the USC Trojans in San Diego.

48. Wisconsin 54, Akron 10 (2016)

This was another dominating performance by the Cardinal & White. The Badgers had to try to avoid the letdown after the huge opening week upset of No. 5 LSU at Lambeau Field. The Zips came in at 1-0 as well after a 47-24 win over VMI. Unfortunately for them, Wisconsin is not VMI. Wisconsin avoided the letdown by scoring the game’s first 23 points and its defense allowed only three points on the afternoon to lift the Badgers to a 54-10 domination of Akron.

The Badgers made sure this was not a letdown situation, traveling 83 yards in 13 plays to give the home team a 7-0 lead. Corey Clement, who rushed for 47 yards on the opening drive, scored the game’s first points on a 4-yard run. A 47-yard pass from Bart Houston to Robert Wheelwright put the Badgers in position to take a two-score lead, but Clement was stuffed on fourth down from the 1. But two plays into the Zips’ possession, Alec James sacked Akron quarterback Thomas Woodson in the end zone to make the score 9-0 in favor of the favored Badgers.

Following the punt back to Wisconsin, Bucky took advantage, quickly making it 16-0. Jazz Peavy accounted for 44 of the 53 yards on the drive, setting up Clement’s second touchdown of the game, a 1-yard rush on 3^rd-and-Goal.

Peavy, who had a career day with seven catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns, caught his first score from 13 yards out to make it 23-0. The touchdown came after a Warren Ball fumble on the tail-end of a 50-yard run for the Zips.

Wisconsin only punted twice in the game, which is a good thing, because Akron’s electric return man JoJo Natson returned Anthony Lotti’s second punt of the afternoon 55 yards for a touchdown for the Zips’ only trip to the end zone on the day.

The Badgers quickly responded with a three-play drive to take back a 23-point advantage, the last two being big pass plays. Houston connected with Wheelwright for 28 yards to the Akron 34 before the Badgers quarterback threaded the needle to Peavy down the field over the middle to finish off the drive. Akron connected on a field goal to end the half and Wisconsin led 30-10 at the break.

Bucky dominated the second half, outscoring the Zips 24-0 after intermission. Wisconsin did not have to punt in the second half, scoring on all four drives. The fullbacks received some love, as both Alec Ingold and Austin Ramesh found the end zone. Freshman running back Bradrick Shaw found paydirt to finish the scoring, as he dove into the right front corner of the end zone for his first career score.

The letdown happened the following week, as the Badgers fought back from a fourth quarter deficit to beat lowly Georgia State, which finished with a 3-9 record in 2016.

49. Wisconsin 24, Illinois 10 (2017)

This was another kinda snoozefest. The Badgers were undefeated, going into Champaign at 7-0, having beaten their opponents by an average of 23.3 points per game. Bucky came out sluggish against a Fighting Illini team that came in 0-4 in the Big Ten and 2-5 overall and had given up nearly 36 points per game in their previous five contests.

Wisconsin came away with a 24-10 win to remain undefeated, which was never in doubt, but it was not exactly a work of art put together by the Badgers. If you only remember one thing from this game, it would be the final touchdown scored by UW. With the Badgers in front 17-3 late in the fourth, Alex Hornibrook rolled out to the right and the left-handed quarterback threw back across the field to offensive tackle Michael Deiter, who rumbled four yards to the left corner of the end zone for the game-sealing touchdown.

I mentioned the Badgers looked sluggish to begin. Well, they went 3-and-out in their first two offensive possessions. They even began their second drive at the Fighting Illini 40 after a Derrick Tindal interception.

After Illinois drove to the Wisconsin 40 thanks in large part to a Cam Thomas 21-yard pass to Malik Turner, the Badgers defense stiffened and forced a punt from Blake Hayes. Starting at their own 8, Badgers embarked on a 92-yard drive that took more than eight minutes off the clock. Jonathan Taylor, who had a 29-yard run to move Bucky into the red zone, was stopped on a 3^rd-and-Goal at the 2. He moved to the 1 and Paul Chryst kept the offense on the field. Hornibrook handed the ball to fullback Alec Ingold, who plowed into the end zone for the first score of the day.

Wisconsin scored another touchdown right before halftime on a 2-yard rush by Garrett Groshek to put the Badgers in front 14-0. Tyler Johnson’s sack and forced fumble set up the visitors at midfield. Bucky received more help, as a personal foul on Illinois’ James Knight moved Wisconsin to the red zone after a 13-yard completion from Hornibrook to Quintez Cephus.

The teams traded field goals to end the half, including Wisconsin’s Rafael Gaglianone booting through a 52-yard field goal as time expired, which was a career-long for the junior.

In the second half, the Fighting Illini had chances to cut into the deficit, but could not dent the scoreboard. They traveled 51 yards in nine plays, but had to settle for a field goal from usually reliable Chase McLaughlin missed a 48-yarder that would have cut it to 11. Turner had another long reception on the drive. The future Green Bay Packer had two catches for a game-high 58 yards.

On Illinois’ following possession, the Illini made the red zone, but a holding penalty pushed them back and forced Cam Thomas to throw. Thomas, known more for his feet than his arm, was picked off by safety Joe Ferguson, who returned it to the Wisconsin 43.

Wisconsin quickly moved down the field for its only score of the second half. The Badgers moved 55 yards in four plays to the doorstep. Hornibrook was 2-for-2 for 35 yards on the game-sealing drive. Groshek ran 18 yards to move them down to the 3. Three plays later, Bucky faced a third down. They ran a play they had not ran in a game before.

Hornibrook’s pass across the field was technically behind the line of scrimmage, so it was credited as a run, but it was a beautifully executed play. Deiter had a big smile on his face as he crossed the goal line and his teammates mobbed him in the back of the end zone.

It was the most exciting part of what was a ho-hum victory. The score made it 24-3 and put it out of reach. The Illini scored on a Kendrick Foster 3-yard run that made it a bit closer with less than a minute left, but Wisconsin went to 8-0.

Wisconsin went on to win its final four games of the regular season as well to finish a perfect 12-0 in the regular season. While Bucky fell in the Big Ten Championship to Ohio State, Wisconsin rebounded with a victory in the Orange Bowl over Miami and earn its 13^th victory of the season, a program record.

50. Wisconsin 48, Kent State 0 (2019)

I have decided to get back into the countdown. I haven’t done it the past few years, but since I am so excited for Bucky football once again, I have decided to change up the countdown. Since Paul Chryst has exceeded 50 wins since becoming the head coach, I have decided to make the countdown my top 50 wins in Paul Chryst’s tenure. He has 56, so there are plenty of lopsided wins on this list, starting at No. 50.

To begin the countdown, Jonathan Taylor tied a program record with five touchdowns, leading the Badgers to an easy 48-0 over Kent State. The Badgers avoided the major letdown after winning their first two games in the Big Ten campaign, including a demolition of No. 11 Michigan. The shutout for Wisconsin was its third such game in its first five contests of the season. The Badgers outgained the Golden Flashes 520-124.

If you want to know how this game went, well, Wisconsin scored touchdowns on its first seven possessions to run away with the game. While the Bucky train scored touchdowns on its first three drives, the Golden Flashes made the Badgers work for them. In the three possessions, Wisconsin ran a total of 37 plays, including a 17-play drive to put the Badgers in front 21-0.

Predictably, all three drives ended the same way. Jonathan Taylor, rushing touchdown.

The game was an indicator of how the game went. KSU went 3-and-out, and the Badgers started their day offensively with a 21-yard toss from Jack Coan to A.J. Taylor.

If the game wasn’t over already, Taylor slammed the door shut on the Golden Flashes two plays into the second half. Nakia Watson had a tremendous kick return to the Badgers 40 to begin the half. On the first play of the drive, JT23 ran for 12 yards into KSU territory. On the second play, Taylor busted a 48-yard run up the middle for the score to put it away, 35-0, and give the junior a program record-tying fifth touchdown on the afternoon.

He could have broken the record, but Chryst showed mercy.

Wisconsin had a 70-yard touchdown drive on its second drive in the third quarter, aided by a KSU pass interference penalty. Jake Ferguson scored on a 2-yard toss from Coan to make it 41-0. Wide receiver Jack Dunn scored on a 3-yard touchdown run to make the final 48-0 on the first play of the final period.

The Badgers added another shutout the following week when Wisconsin whipped Michigan State 38-0 at Camp Randall Stadium for their fourth shutout in six weeks. That came crashing down with two consecutive losses, including an embarrassing loss at Illinois. But the team did rebound for a Big Ten West division win and berth in the Rose Bowl.

Top 20 current coaches who have yet to make the Final Four

We are nearly two months removed from the college basketball season, so it is time to put up an updated list of the top 20 current coaches who have yet to make the Final Four. This past season, UCLA’s Mick Cronin broke through and graduated from this list, as did the coach of the national champion Baylor Bears, Scott Drew. There is also change at the top with Sean Miller being fired at Arizona. Here is my updated list:

Honorable Mention:

Bobby Hurley, Arizona State (146-103, 3 NCAA Tournaments)

Anthony Grant, Dayton (271-151, 3 NCAA Tournaments)

Fred Hoiberg, Nebraska (129-101, 4 NCAA Tournaments, 1 Sweet 16)

20. Kevin Willard, Seton Hall (249-199, 4 NCAA Tournament appearances)--previous: 19

Last year, Willard basically came out of nowhere to make Seton Hall into a national power. The Pirates had three wins in conference play the year before he arrived in Newark. The 25 wins in 2015-16 were the most for the program since P.J. Carlesimo led them to 28 wins in 1992-93. Last season, Willard led Seton Hall to its first conference crown since that 1992-93 season, reaching as high as No. 8 in the polls. The team went down a bit in 2020-21, finishing with a record of 14-13, but the program is on the upswing with him in command.

19. Ben Jacobson, Northern Iowa (301-189, 4 NCAA Tournament appearances, 1 Sweet 16)--previous: HM

Jacobsen is similar to Randy Bennett at St. Mary’s in that he has had a lot of success at a mid-major, but would like to stay there despite getting offers at bigger programs. He has had some great years with the Panthers, but then has had a number of mediocre ones as well. Despite all his success, he has only two conference championships and none since 2010. Northern Iowa has missed the tournament the last five years (but in his defense, UNI likely would have made it in 2020) after back-to-back trips to the Big Dance. He would have made another Sweet 16 trip in 2016 year if not for one of the biggest late game collapses in the college basketball history. The Sweet 16 trip made during his tenure was highlighted by a huge upset of Kansas in the second round.

18. Steve Alford, Nevada (544-291, 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, 4 Sweet 16s)--previous: HM

Steve Alford has been on the NCAA coaching circuit for awhile. He has had a solid run at three schools before and is 34-21 with the Wolfpack in replacing Eric Musselman. He burst onto the coaching scene in 1999 when he led Southwest Missouri State to a Sweet 16 appearance. He has proven to be a mediocre coach with power conference schools and a great coach with the mid-majors. He has alternated between mid-major and power conference schools for the past 20 years. After being let go at Iowa, he led New Mexico to four conference regular season titles and an impressive 155-52 record. That helped him get a job with UCLA, but was let go early in his sixth season, despite reaching three Sweet 16 appearances with the Bruins.

17. Steve Pikiell, Rutgers (272-233, 2 NCAA Tournament appearances)--previous: HM

What Pikiell has done at Rutgers is incredible. After leading Stony Brook to at least 20 wins in six of his last seven seasons and an NCAA Tournament appearance, he came to a program that hadn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 1991. He had three below .500 seasons with Rutgers to start his career there, but then it all came together. Pikiell would have led the Knights to two consecutive tournament berths if COVID hadn’t halted play in 2020. His Rutgers team won its opening game against Clemson for the first tournament win for the program since 1983 and nearly defeated Final Four-bound Houston in the second round. He has a chance to fly up the list in the coming years if he doesn’t make it to the Final Four.

16. Randy Bennett, St. Mary’s (454-192, 8 NCAA Tournaments, 1 Sweet 16)--previous: 15

I mentioned him in the same breath as UNI’s Ben Jacobsen due to each team having an uphill climb in terms of making the Final Four in their respective teams. That doesn’t take away from his terrific career, though. His 4-6 record in conference play this year is his worst since his first year with the Gaels. Bennett took over a woeful St. Mary’s program and has turned it into a powerful program. I wonder if Bennett will ever take an offer from a major conference job because that might he might have reached his ceiling with this program and he wouldn’t be able to take the next step. Despite making the tournament seven times, he has only advanced past the first round twice.

15. Jamie Dixon, TCU (424-194, 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, 2 Sweet 16s, 1 Elite 8)--previous: 14

This is “What have you done for me lately?” sport and his teams have not made it to the second weekend since 2009 and made the tournament just once in his last five seasons.. In his first six years, his Pitt Panthers advanced to the second weekend three times. Those days look so long ago. However, he does get credit for turning the Horned Frogs around a bit and bringing them to the Big Dance. Prior to Dixon’s arrival in Fort Worth, the Horned Frogs were a doormat. In Trent Johnson’s four years with the program, TCU only had one winning season and was a combined 8-64 in conference play and never finished higher than ninth in the conference. Prior to Dixon, TCU had not made either the NCAA Tournament or NIT since 2005, and not made the Big Dance this millennium.

14. Nate Oats, Alabama (138-65, 4 NCAA Tournament appearances, 1 Sweet 16)--previous: HM

A new entrant on this list, Oats very easily could have been ranked higher. After leading Buffalo to 59 wins and two NCAA Tournament appearances his final two seasons there, he left for Alabama, where he guided the Tide to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2004. Oats’ Alabama squad was ranked in the top five and it took a red-hot UCLA team to take down the Tide. Oats will be a contender for a Final Four berth for years to come.

13. Brian Dutcher, San Diego State (96-31, 2 NCAA Tournament appearances)--previous: 18

Dutcher was given the reigns after Steve Fisher’s retirement and has kept the program rolling. He was kind of screwed, like Greg Gard and others, that the COVID pandemic took away the 2020 NCAA Tournament. His team that season went 30-2 and would have been a one or two seed in the Big Dance. His team had another good season this past year, but nothing like the 2019-20 season. Dutcher’s Aztecs won 23 games, but lost in the first round to Syracuse. 

12. Mike Brey, Notre Dame (547-300, 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, 1 Sweet 16, 2 Elite 8s)--previous: 10

He has been dropping on this list, living on past accomplishments. What have you done for me lately? He made it to the Elite 8 in back-to-back years in 2014-15 and 15-16, but has not made the tournament since 2017-18 and has finished below .500 in two of the past three seasons. As good as Mike Brey is, those Elite 8 appearances are the only trips to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2003-04. In that period, the Irish have missed the tournament completely eight times. Brey is running out of time to reach his first Final Four.

11. Mark Turgeon, Maryland (471-272, 10 NCAA Tournament appearances, 2 Sweet 16s)--previous: 9

Last season, Turgeon coached the Terps 24 wins and a Big Ten championship last season. It was his first conference title since 2005-06 when he was with Wichita State. He had a chance to make a run last year, but the Coronavirus ended those hopes. While he is a really solid coach, he will need to prove more in the NCAA Tournament, though, as he has only led one team past the first weekend since he took the jump to a major conference school.

10. Greg Gard, Wisconsin (119-70, 4 NCAA Tournament appearances, 2 Sweet 16s)--previous: 11

It was a bit of a disappointing year for Gard’s Badgers. They were supposed to be a Final Four contender and ended up with a No. 9 seed and second round exit. In 2019-20, what he and the program had to deal with and turn the season around was remarkable. After a series of unfortunate events, his Badgers won eight consecutive games to earn a share of the Big Ten title. Any one of those could have caused the season to derail, but Gard kept the team together and was rewarded with the Big Ten Coach of the Year. However, with the problems he had with the seniors last year, this season could be a big one, especially with a new Athletics Director in Chris McIntosh.

9. Mike White, Florida (224-115, 4 NCAA Tournament appearances, 1 Elite 8)--previous: 12

White has had a solid time in Gainesville so far, but nothing has come close to the success of his 2016-17 team. In his past four years, his win total has gone each year. If you were to take his fantastic season away, he is just 96-66. While certainly not bad, it is not what it was under Billy Donovan. He came from Louisiana Tech, where he found plenty of success. In his final three years with Louisiana Tech, he led the Bulldogs to 83 wins and a conference title all three years. However, he could not get his team over the hump and into the Big Dance and had to settle for the NIT all three seasons.

8. Brad Underwood, Illinois (180-83, 5 NCAA Tournament appearances)--previous: 16

His first two seasons were underwhelming seasons in Champaigne, but Underwood’s crew turned it around the last two years, led by Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn. The Illini won 21 games and finished 13-7 in conference in 2019-20, good for fourth in the conference. The 13 league wins are more than Illinois had in its previous two seasons combined. This past season,  Illinois was 24-7, which was good enough for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but they choked to Loyola in the second round. After an incredible run at Stephen F. Austin in which he led the Lumberjacks to an 89-14 record and an incredible 53-1 conference record, he led the Oklahoma State Cowboys to the tournament in 2017. It will be interesting to see how the Illini do without Dosunmu and Cockburn. Both players are currently testing the NBA Draft waters.

7. Juwan Howard, Michigan (42-17, 1 NCAA Tournament appearance, 1 Elite 8)--previous: N/A

It is a tough act to follow, proceeding John Belein, but Howard has done his best. It was modest first year for the ‘Fab Five’ member, but won the Big Ten regular season and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Despite missing a starter, he led the Wolverines to the Elite 8, but lost in the matchup of who will exit this list against UCLA and Mick Cronin. I think Howard will eventually leave for the NBA, but he has unfinished business at his alma mater first.

6. Buzz Williams, Texas A&M (277-179, 8 NCAA Tournament appearances, 3 Sweet 16s, 1 Elite 8)--previous: 7

It is only a matter of time that Buzz turns around the Aggies. He did the same at Virginia Tech and elevated the play at Marquette after the departure of Tom Crean. Williams took over the Hokies following a 9-22 season in which they won just two league games. In his fifth season, he took Virginia Tech to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1966-67 and fell by just two points to top-seeded Duke. Before Virginia Tech, he averaged more than 23 wins per season with Marquette and made the Sweet 16 twice and an Elite 8.

5. Eric Musselman, Arkansas (155-53, 4 NCAA Tournament appearances, 1 Sweet 16, 1 Elite 8)--previous: 13

Musselman has it going in Arkansas. The Razorbacks finished in the top 10 of the AP poll and earned trip to the Elite 8 for the first time since 1995. After an 18-16 the year before he got there, Arkansas was primed to take a major leap in year one under Musselman. The team began the season 14-2, but dropped 10 of its last 16 games and a 7-11 SEC record took them off the bubble and firmly out of the NCAA Tournament running. Musselman came to Fayetteville after beginning his collegiate head coaching career at Nevada. In his first season there, he rebuilt the Wolfpack after a 9-22 season. He led Nevada to a 15-win increase in 2015-16 and a CBI championship. In his next three seasons, he led them to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and a berth in the Sweet 16 in 2018. Musselman has proven he is worthy of this job and may exit this list sooner rather than later.

4. Chris Holtmann, Ohio State (201-129, 6 NCAA Tournament appearances, 1 Sweet 16)--previous: 8

Holtmann did a masterful job this past year with the Buckeyes, leading them to a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and a trip to the Big Ten Tournament title game. Despite his team falling to Oral Roberts in the first round of the Big Dance, it was still a terrific year for OSU. He came to the Buckeyes from Butler, where he was hired to take over for a Butler legend in Brad Stevens. Holtmann was 70-31 in three seasons and reached the Sweet 16 in 2017. His overall record is a little deceiving, as he turned around a Gardner-Webb program that had not had a winning record since 2005-06. In his first two seasons with the Runnin’ Bulldogs, they went 23-41 and did not finish higher than ninth in the Big South. However, in his third season, he led them to a 21-13 record and a berth in the CIT. 

3. Leonard Hamilton, Florida State (600-438, 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, 4 Sweet 16s, 1 Elite 8)--previous: 5

Hamilton is fresh off another terrific season, where they were a No. 4 seed and advanced to the Sweet 16. The Seminoles have made it to the second weekend the last three NCAA Tournaments. At 72, he is the oldest coach on the list and it seems like he is getting better with age. His head coaching career began in 1986 with Oklahoma State, and he lasted four seasons with a 47 percent winning percentage. He went to Miami for 10 years, turning around the program, and making the NCAA Tournament his final three seasons with the Hurricanes. In 2002-03, he went to Tallahassee and turned things around. In 2018, he led them to their first Elite 8 in 25 years. It’s a shame that there was no tournament because he could have made it this year. Eventually, you’d think he’ll make it, don’t you think?

2. Matt Painter, Purdue (380-189, 13 NCAA Tournament appearances, 4 Sweet 16s, 1 Elite 8)--previous: 6

After what would have been NIT season in 2020, Purdue is back on the way up. The Boilers were led by freshmen and earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. While they lost to North Texas in the first round, they are primed for a run in 2020-21. This reminds me a bit of the team in 2007-08 when they had a freshmen group with JaJuan Johnson, E’Twaun Moore and Robbie Hummel. I have faith in Painter, as the Boilers try to make the Final Four for the first time since 1980, and this coming season could be their year. It will be interesting to see if Painter (and Purdue) will finally be able to get over the hump because the Boilermakers are a bit snakebit in that regard because Gene Keady was the same way.

1. Chris Mack, Louisville (272-125, 9 NCAA Tournament appearances, 3 Sweet 16s, 1 Elite 8)--previous: 2

For the first time since I started creating this list, someone other than Sean Miller is atop the ranking. Chris Mack has been such a good coach for so long that it is surprising that he has never been to a Final Four before. His two best years at Xavier, in 2015-16 and 2017-18, were spoiled before the second weekend by Wisconsin and Florida State, respectively. Mack should have made the tournament this past year, but the committee put in a team with a worse resume (Syracuse) over them. It seems inevitable, but of course, people probably thought that with Gene Keady and John Chaney too.