The University of Wisconsin football team's dramatic tumble out of The Associated Press Top 25 poll the last two weeks might seem startling, if the same thing didn't happen last year.

It is becoming downright predictable for the Badgers, who have a habit of disappointing when preseason expectations are the highest.

Despite playing relatively well in the 20-17 loss to Ohio State on Saturday night, the Badgers (3-2 overall, 0-2 Big Ten Conference) dropped out of the latest AP poll released Sunday following a second straight loss. They hung in at No. 24 in the coaches' poll and the Harris poll.

UW was ninth in the AP poll and eighth in the coaches' poll two weeks ago. It's the second straight year it has gone from the top 10 to out of the media poll in two weeks.

The Badgers started No. 7 in the media poll last year and were No. 5 on Sept. 30. After losing back-to-back Big Ten games to Illinois and Penn State, leaving them 5-2 and 2-2, they dropped out of the poll in two weeks.

That continues a recent trend of the Badgers repeatedly failing to deliver when expectations are the highest.

This was the fifth time since 1990 they were ranked in the preseason top 15, opening at No. 13. The only time they stayed there at the end of the season was in 1999, starting 10th and finishing fourth.

Conversely, they have finished in the top 15 in the final poll five times in that span; in three of them, they came into the season unranked.

While preseason polls are notoriously unreliable, they do speak to the expectation level.

After four straight January bowl games, 40 wins over the last four seasons and 17 starters back, this UW team expected to compete for a Big Ten title.

After two conference games, that goal is largely out of reach.

And it doesn't get any easier this week with No. 6 Penn State (6-0, 2-0) coming to Camp Randall Stadium for another Saturday night game.
But UW coach Bret Bielema's message to the players Sunday night was that most of the team goals are still obtainable.

"We've got a lot to play for still," senior guard Andy Kemp said. "Coach B made that clear. We've got to take it as a learning step, learn from the film and move on for Penn State."

A year ago, some of the players thought the team's high early ranking made for some complacency — that team was handed a high ranking, coming off a 12-1 season in 2006.

That was one of the many lessons this team hoped to learn from last season. But it finds itself in virtually the same spot again.

Last year's team battled injury problems after the two straight losses and still climbed back to as high as No. 18 in the AP poll before finishing No. 24.

This team finally has tight end Travis Beckum (hamstring) at 100 percent and could get tight end Garrett Graham (foot) back this week. But left tackle Gabe Carimi likely is out with what looked like a serious injury suffered to his right knee in the second quarter.

It has been an especially difficult two games for the 12 senior starters. "It's tough, not only for myself, but all the guys," senior linebacker Jonathan Casillas said. "It's my last year. I didn't want to lose two games. Who does?