For reference, FPI currently projects Wisconsin's win-loss record at 5.6 - 6.5. That total analyzes how Badgers' rating of 6.3 (No. 38 nationally) compares to the teams it faces. While a startlingly low total on the surface, it suggests that a six-win output is within range.

ESPN released the initial rankings for one of its college football predictive measurements, the Football Power Index. ESPN’s FPI, as it is commonly referred to, is used to project how the season will unfold,

ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI) predicts the Kansas State Wildcats are most likely to win the Big 12. The Houston Cougars are projected to have the worst record in the Big 12, with fewer than five projected wins. Eight Big 12 teams have less than a 5% chance of making the College Football Playoffs, according to FPI.