Wisconsin moves up to No. 18 in the latest poll from a national analyst

The Wisconsin football team is currently riding its first three conference game winning streak under Luke Fickell. The national media is starting to take notice and the metrics are putting them among the top 20 teams in the country.

National college football media personality Josh Pate releases his own Top 25, the JP Poll, every week. On the latest episode of his podcast, he rated Wisconsin 18th in the country, one spot higher than last week's 19th.

The Badgers will have a tough test this week against Penn State, ranked No. 8 in Pate's poll. The Badgers passed Iowa, which fell from 17th to 24th. Wisconsin faces the Hawkeyes next week and then Oregon, ranked No. 3 in the JP poll. The Badgersl finish the season against Nebraska and Minnesota, both of which are unranked.

Pate's poll is based on support for neutrality. Therefore, Wisconsin would be the favorite on the neutral field against Iowa and Nebraska, but will play both teams on the road. As underdogs by about seven points against Penn State, the Badgers could continue their climb with a win.

Wisconsin is still a wide margin away from finishing in the Associated Press (AP) Top 25 poll, but Pate is the latest, along with ESPN's Bill Connelly, to view the Badgers as a top 20 team in the country. Both the JP Poll and SP+ are predictive metrics that can help highlight recent success in Madison.

The Badgers host the Nittany Lions, ranked No. 3 in the AP poll, this Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT, and the game will be broadcast on NBC. It will be an opportunity for Fickell to claim his biggest victory as a head coach since arriving in Madison.