Wisconsin football will be one of 10 college football programs to square off solely against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents during the 2025 season.
The Badgers, fresh off a 5-7 output during the 2024 campaign, join the Colorado Buffaloes, Michigan Wolverines, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Sam Houston State Bearkats, Stanford Cardinal, Texas Longhorns, Tulane Green Wave, UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans as those 10 programs.
To open the season, Wisconsin will square off against the Miami (Ohio) Redhawks on Aug. 28 and the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders on Sept. 6 at Camp Randall Stadium. A season ago, the Badgers played Western Michigan, an FBS program, and South Dakota, a Football Championship Subdivision team, to begin the 2024 slate.
Unlike last season, both the Redhawks and Blue Raiders compete at the highest level of college football. While Miami, a MAC representative, and Middle Tennessee, a Conference USA team, may not boast the historical resumes of a Power 4 program, both have competed in the FBS for decades.
The last 10 games of Wisconsin’s schedule, meanwhile, are as difficult as any in the sport. The Badgers play the Alabama Crimson Tide on Sept. 13, Michigan Wolverines on Oct. 4, Ohio State Buckeyes on Oct. 18 and Oregon Ducks on Oct. 25. Other notable games include Iowa on Oct. 11, Washington on Nov. 8, Indiana on Nov. 15, Illinois on Nov. 22 and Minnesota on Nov. 29.
With an entirely new offensive system in place — captained by offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes and Maryland transfer quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. — UW will need to perform well against the subpar Big Ten programs to return to the six-win threshold. The Nittany Lions, Buckeyes, Crimson Tide and Ducks are as formidable as any group of teams in the country, which means that Wisconsin will need to reestablish its ground-and-pound identity before October rolls around.
First is the Thursday, Aug. 28 battle against Miami (Ohio) at Camp Randall.
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