Live College Football Rankings

Wisconsin

B10 · 1981 Season · Final

Rebuilding −
Record
7–5
0.583 Win %
Conference
5th
6–3 in B10

All-Time Resume

Ranked Seasons
135
1892–2026
All-Time Record
748–529–52
0.582 Win %
Peak Final Rank
#1
1912
#1 Finishes
1
Top 5: 7 · Top 10: 16 · Top 25: 44
  • 12-Team Playoff & Revenue Era · 2 seasons
  • Limited Playoff Era · 26 seasons · 3 Top 10
  • Independents & Bowl Tie-In Era · 16 seasons
  • Divisional Era · 26 seasons
  • AP Poll & Postwar Era · 20 seasons · 3 Top 10
  • Forward Pass & Stadium Boom Era · 30 seasons · 1 Top 10 · 1× #1
  • Pioneer Era · 14 seasons · 9 Top 10

Final finishes, as published; the season in progress counts toward record only. Compare Wisconsin head-to-head · History & Eras

1981 Schedule & Results

WkDateOpponentConfOpp. RecordResult
3Week 3 · Sep 15Michigan (MICHIGAN)H2HB109–3W 21–14
4Week 4 · Sep 22UCLAH2HPAC7–4–1L 13–31
5Week 5 · Sep 29Western Michigan (WESTERN MICHIGAN)H2HMAC6–5W 21–10
6Week 6 · Oct 6Purdue (PURDUE)H2HB105–6W 20–14
7Week 7 · Oct 13Ohio State (OHIO STATE)H2HB109–3W 24–21
8Week 8 · Oct 20Michigan State (MICHIGAN STATE)H2HB105–6L 14–33
9Week 9 · Oct 27Illinois (ILLINOIS)H2HB107–4L 21–23
10Week 10 · Nov 3Northwestern (NORTHWESTERN)H2HB100–11W 52–0
11Week 11 · Nov 10Indiana (INDIANA)H2HB103–8W 28–7
12Week 12 · Nov 17Iowa (IOWA)H2HB108–4L 7–17
13Week 13 · Nov 24Minnesota (MINNESOTA)H2HB106–5W 26–21
1Post-Season Week 1 · Dec 15Tennessee (TENNESSEE)H2HSEC8–4L 21–28

Past season results come from the published weekly rankings; home/away is not recorded. Unranked = opponent outside the ranked field. Kickoff times in Eastern Time. TBD = not yet announced. vs* = neutral site. Opp. Record is the current season record; — = unavailable.

Rating Tier Spectrum
2.475
Paramount (best)Rock Bottom

Where the rating sits on the 12-tier scale (lower is better).

NOW — Net Opponent Wins
+16
-22+38
  • Michigan +9
  • Ohio State +9
  • Western Michigan +6
  • Minnesota +6
  • Purdue +5
  • Indiana +3
  • Northwestern 0
  • UCLA -4
  • Illinois -4
  • Iowa -4
  • Tennessee -4
  • Michigan State -6

Each win stacks that opponent's win total to the right; each loss stacks that opponent's loss total to the left.

National Standing
Rank #40Better than 72%
Win % Place 50thBetter than 64%

0.583 Win % · Change 1

Percent of all FBS teams this team is ahead of.

Rank by Week
#34Regular Season Final#41Post-Season W1#41Post-Season W2#41Post-Season W3#40Final

Higher on the chart = better rank.

Game Margins
+7
-18
+11
+6
+3
-19
-2
+52
+21
-10
+5
-7

Bars above the line are wins, below are losses; height = point margin.

Final Rank by Season
#801976#881977#731978#951979#891980

Higher = better finish. Ranks as published.

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