Badgers get back to back primetime games vs. ranked opponents

Badgers get back to back primetime games vs. ranked opponents

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Badgers get back to back primetime games vs. ranked opponents
MADISON, WISCONSIN – SEPTEMBER 12: (L-R) Head Coach Luke Fickell of the Wisconsin Badgers and Head Coach Joe Davis of the Western Illinois Leathernecks shake hands at center field after the Wisconsin Badgers beat the Western Illinois Leathernecks 36-9 at Camp Randall Stadium on September 12, 2026 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Isaac Wasserman/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Wisconsin Badgers are taking on a ranked team once again this week, as they’ll travel to Pasadena to face the No. 12 UCLA Bruins, who knocked off the Oregon Ducks this past weekend.

It’ll be another road game against a top-15 opponent, with Wisconsin already facing Notre Dame (neutral site game) and Penn State this season. This one will be huge for the Badgers, as the Bruins are 5-0, while Wisconsin is 4-1 and 2-0 in the Big Ten.

The Badgers are on the verge of being ranked, currently seen as the top team outside the AP Top 25, so a win here could certainly get them in the rankings for the first time since the early part of the 2024 season.

The game got a twist on Monday morning, as UCLA head coach Bob Chesney revealed that quarterback Nico Iamaleava is out indefinitely with a knee injury. So it’ll be either Ty Dieffenbach or Madden Iamaleava against the Badgers on Saturday.

Wisconsin will be playing in primetime, the Big Ten announced, as they drew the 6:30 p.m. Central (4:30 p.m. local time) slate, with the game airing on NBC. It will be the standalone evening Big Ten game, with Nebraska playing Oregon at 8:00 p.m. Pacific on FOX.

That’s not all. The Badgers are also getting a primetime draw with another ranked opponent in Week 8 when they face the No. 19 USC Trojans. The Big Ten revealed on Monday that Wisconsin will host USC at 6:30 p.m. Central on October 24th at Camp Randall Stadium on NBC once again.

And, just like in Week 7, the Badgers will be the standalone evening game.

Wisconsin has been one of the most watched teams in the country this season, and they’ve already gotten their fair share of evening primetime games. The Badgers got a night kick on NBC in Week 1 against Notre Dame. They got a 6:15 p.m. kick on Big Ten Network against Western Illinois in Week 2.

Then, after a morning kick in Week 3, they took on Penn State on the road in a 4:00 p.m. central kickoff on Peacock. Now, in Weeks 7 and 8, they’re back to the evening slate on primetime.

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