1998 Wisconsin Badgers football team

1998 Wisconsin Badgers football
Big Ten co-champion
Rose Bowl champion
Rose Bowl, W 38–31 vs. UCLA
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 5
APNo. 6
Record11–1 (7–1 Big Ten)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorBrad Childress (7th season)
Offensive schemeSmashmouth
Defensive coordinatorKevin Cosgrove (4th season)
Base defense4–3
MVPs
Captains
Home stadiumCamp Randall Stadium
1998 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 2 Ohio State %+   7 1     11 1  
No. 6 Wisconsin $+   7 1     11 1  
No. 12 Michigan +   7 1     10 3  
No. 24 Purdue   6 2     9 4  
No. 17 Penn State   5 3     9 3  
Michigan State   4 4     6 6  
Minnesota   2 6     5 6  
Indiana   2 6     4 7  
Illinois   2 6     3 8  
Iowa   2 6     3 8  
Northwestern   0 8     3 9  
  • $ – BCS representative as conference champion
  • % – BCS at-large representative
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1998 Wisconsin Badgers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their ninth year under head coach Barry Alvarez, the Badgers compiled a 11–1 record (7–1 in conference games), finished in a three-way tie for the Big Ten championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 344 to 112. They were awarded the Big Ten's berth in the 1999 Rose Bowl under Big Ten tie-breaking rules. Wisconsin went on to defeat No. 6 UCLA, 38–31, in the Rose Bowl.

Running back Ron Dayne led the Big Ten with 1,279 rushing yards on 268 carries for an average of 4.8 yards per carry. He received first-team All-America honors from the Walter Camp Football Foundation. Offensive tackle Aaron Gibson and defensive end Tom Burke were consensus first-team All-Americans.