College Football Rankings Week 7: Can Wisconsin Eventually Overtake Top Teams?

With the latest USA Today poll having just been released, the Wisconsin Badgers find themselves up one spot this week to No. 4. 

They are a distant fourth, behind Oklahoma, LSU and Alabama, three teams who have been at the top all season. 

For a Badger team, a trip to the Rose Bowl would be nice, but playing for a national championship is the ultimate goal. To be able to do that, they need a little bit of help, and there is a good chance they could get that.

LSU and Alabama square off four weeks from now in Tuscaloosa. This will be the biggest college football game of the season, but it's great for Wisconsin as it will jump the loser in the rankings.

To play for the national championship, it will need to have Oklahoma or the winner of the LSU-Alabama game lose somewhere along the line.

The best chance for that to happen could be the final game of the regular season, as Oklahoma takes on Oklahoma State in Stillwater. 

The Sooners and Cowboys have had some classic battles over the years and Oklahoma State is as good as anybody in the country at putting points on the board. This is the best chance for the Badgers to move up to No. 2 in the BCS rankings and have the chance to play for a national championship. 

Wisconsin will also need to win all of its remaining games. Easier said than done, especially in a highly competitive Big 10 conference.

The schedule is in favor of Wisconsin, which does not play Michigan this season and has already defeated Nebraska.

The Badgers still have road games remaining at Michigan State, Ohio State and Illinois, along with a home contest against Penn State to finish off the regular season.

The Big 10 championship game also looms large.

No matter how impressive Wisconsin is, winning all these games will not move the Badgers up in the rankings unless a team in front of them loses.

However, a one-loss SEC team does not stand a chance against an undefeated Big 10 team.

There are numerous undefeated teams left behind Wisconsin who they will need to lose to make sure they stay in front. 

While it is not likely for all the pieces to fall in place and Wisconsin to be able to play for a national championship, it could happen with a few lucky bounces.