It might mean absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things, but at least for now, Badger fans can point and laugh at ESPN college football analyst Mark May.

Aside from poking fun at his senseless blather on ordinary football Saturdays, UW fans were also privileged enough to see the Badgers win their fifth game, erasing May’s 4-8 preseason prediction from memory. Well, sort of.

The UW football team didn’t receive much national media attention this summer, and it probably made sense. Coming off its worst season in Bret Bielema’s tenure as head coach, along with a completely revamped defense, respect probably wasn’t really something Wisconsin expected.

Well, five weeks into this short season, not only did the Badgers shut Mark May up, but they also retained Paul Bunyan’s Axe and won their first two Big Ten games. Last year, Wisconsin didn’t win its first conference game until beating Illinois on Oct. 25, its fourth Big Ten match in the eighth week of the season.

So now, after Wisconsin athletes have won the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week award two weeks in a row (Scott Tolzien and John Clay), along with a 2-0 start in the conference and a 5-0 overall record, the national media just can’t seem to get away from Madison. I mean, how could it ignore the best scoring offense in the Big Ten (35 points per game), not to mention the top rushing attack in the conference (217 yards per game), thanks largely to Clay.

OK, now that I’ve woken up from my media-rich dream, I think it makes sense to see where exactly the undefeated Badgers are ranked in the AP poll going into their big showdown with Ohio State next weekend.

Alright, let’s see. Nope, not top 10, or 20… Uh oh.

Maybe the USA Today/Coaches poll has the Badgers in the top 25? Oh, there they are, just sneaking in at No. 25 on the non-AP rankings. Woohoo.

For now, forget the lack of attention from the national media. UW hasn’t really ever received that much notice from ESPN and the rest of the country, even when it was ranked in the top 10 last season.

Obviously, at this point in the season, it’s useless to fret over the inaccurate rankings system in college football. Most teams probably figure they aren’t going to go to a BCS bowl game unless they win all or all but one of their games, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

But at the same time, it’s important to think back to last season, when the Badgers were a dark horse to win the Big Ten, and more importantly were looked at as a team that had the potential to make the Rose Bowl or even the National Championship.

Now, this year, we are seeing a team that is clearly better than last year’s. The running attack has finally caught up to last year’s production, and I have yet to meet someone who would prefer Dustin Sherer to Tolzien, now one of the Big Ten’s top quarterbacks.

After winning on Saturday, every coach and player on the UW football team disregarded the idea that the Badgers now have a legitimate opportunity to be a player for the Big Ten title, opting instead to focus on the team’s continued improvement. Probably the right thing to say, considering the Badgers have yet to face the two best teams on their schedule, Ohio State and Iowa.

But the simple fact that nobody is even talking about the Badgers is troublesome. If Wisconsin wins one of its next two games, its remaining schedule puts the team in position to take a top spot in the conference, something few could have predicted at the start of the season.

Maybe the lack of media attention is a good thing for the football team. Going into their game against the Buckeyes next weekend, the last thing the Badgers need is for national media to predict a Wisconsin victory at the Horseshoe. At this point in the season, few would guess the Badgers would beat Ohio State, and surely the UW football players will relish their opportunity to upset the Big Ten’s top team on the road.

Unfortunately for the Badgers though, right now the rankings aren’t helping their cause. If they lose to Ohio State and are still able to beat Iowa (currently ranked No. 12), there’s no certainty they would end up in the nation’s top 15. After that game, the Badgers face lowly opponents like Indiana and Purdue along with Northwestern. Those games wouldn’t boost the Badgers’ rankings at all.

Still, if the UW football team is actually worrying about rankings and national media attention, which I’m sure they are not, getting blown out by the Buckeyes would solidify sports analysts’ opinions that the Badgers are nothing more than a mediocre Big Ten team.

So, despite that media void, this game has enormous implications for Wisconsin and the rest of its season. Beating Ohio State on the road would not only push the Badgers into the AP top 25, but it would also make the following week’s game against Iowa that much more important.

Mark May might be an “expert,” but it doesn’t take a genius to realize how important the upcoming game actually is, and not just for Wisconsin fans. The showdown in Columbus will play a major role in determining what team will go to Pasadena this January.

Perhaps the Badgers will prove that point to May and ESPN this Saturday. Otherwise, the wake-up call for the national media might come a little too late, if it comes at all.

Jonah is a junior majoring in journalism and Hebrew and Semitic studies. Does the lack of national attention for the UW football team bother you? Send your thoughts to [email protected].