Morning State Sports Briefs: UW at No. 6 in first BCS poll

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MADISON - The University of Wisconsin football team is No. 6 in the first BCS Standings of the season issued last night. That’s despite the fact the Badgers ranked fourth in the coaches’ and Harris Interactive polls – which make up two-thirds of the BCS computer figures.

ESPN college football analyst and broadcaster Kirk Herbstreit said Wisconsin’s relatively weak non-conference schedule was the reason for the lower BCS ranking. He also said losses by Michigan and Illinois last weekend seemed to indicate that the Big Ten is not one of the strongest conferences. The Badgers are also fourth in the new AP poll, which is not part of the BCS formula. They’re about to play their first true road games of the season -- a pair of Saturday night contests at Michigan State and Ohio State the next two weeks. Wisconsin did play Northern Illinois in Chicago -- but that was 65 miles east of the NIU campus, and thousands of Badger fans were on hand. Wisconsin lost at Michigan State in last year's Big Ten opener -- and the players and coaches have not forgotten it. Coach Bret Bielema took the blame, saying he did not prepare his Badgers enough for the rigors of a Big Ten road contest. He said he will not make the same mistake this year.

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UW-Whitewater remains atop the national small college poll from D3Football.com. The Warhawks are 6-0 overall, after their 42-21 home win over Stout on Friday night. Whitewater received 21-of-the-25 first place votes. Second-place Mount Union received the other four. UW-Oshkosh moved up five spots in the new poll to No. 20. The Titans are 5-1 after a 24-3 victory over UW-Platteville on Saturday. No Wisconsin schools received votes outside of the Top-25.

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The Marquette University women's soccer team improved to 9-1 in Big East play, with a 4-0 shutout at Syracuse yesterday. Meagan Kelly scored twice, as the seventh-ranked Golden Eagles won their eighth straight. They're now 16-and-2 overall, and they've clinched home-field advantage for the upcoming Big East quarter-finals.

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The University of Wisconsin women soccer team lost a 1-0 game at Illinois. Megan Pawlowski scored the game’s only goal in the 25th minute, as the Illini improved to 5-2-1 in the Big Ten and 11-4-1 overall.

Wisconsin dropped to 3-2-3 in the conference, and 8-5-3 overall.

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The University of Wisconsin men's soccer team topped Michigan State 1-0 in Madison yesterday. Chris Prince scored in the 33rd minute, as the Badgers became 3-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since 1995. Wisconsin is 7-4-2 overall.

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The University of Wisconsin volleyball team blanked Iowa three-games-to-none yesterday in Madison at the UW Fieldhouse. The Badgers committed a season-low 14 errors. Freshman Ellen Chapman led Wisconsin with 10 kills, as the Badgers improved to 4-4 in the Big Ten and 12-8 overall.

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