Wisconsin is about to spend another Saturday night under the lights, and this one comes with plenty on the line.
The Badgers head to Pasadena this week to take on No. 12 UCLA, fresh off the Bruins’ win over Oregon.
It’s a road trip into ranked-opponent territory again for Wisconsin, which has already dealt with Notre Dame in a neutral-site matchup and Penn State earlier this season. At 5-0, UCLA brings the unbeaten record; Wisconsin comes in at 4-1 and 2-0 in the Big Ten.
A win would give the Badgers a strong push toward the AP Top 25. Right now, Wisconsin is viewed as the top team outside the rankings, and a victory over the Bruins could send them into the poll for the first time since the early part of the 2024 season.
There’s also a major wrinkle for Saturday’s matchup. On Monday morning, UCLA coach Bob Chesney said quarterback Nico Iamaleava is out indefinitely with a knee injury. That leaves Ty Dieffenbach or Madden Iamaleava in line to start against Wisconsin.
The Big Ten also set the kickoff time for the game, and it gives Wisconsin another primetime slot. The Badgers and Bruins will kick at 6:30 p.m.
Central, 4:30 p.m. local time, with NBC carrying the game. It will be the conference’s standalone evening matchup, while Nebraska and Oregon are set for an 8:00 p.m.
Pacific kickoff on FOX.
And Wisconsin’s night schedule doesn’t stop there. The Big Ten announced Monday that the Badgers’ Week 8 matchup with No.
19 USC will also land in primetime, with Wisconsin hosting the Trojans on October 24 at 6:30 p.m. Central at Camp Randall Stadium on NBC.
That means back-to-back standalone evening games for Wisconsin against ranked opponents.
The Badgers have already been a fixture on national TV this season. They opened with a night game on NBC against Notre Dame, then followed with a 6:15 p.m. kickoff on Big Ten Network against Western Illinois in Week 2.
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UCLA Puts Its Perfect Start To The Test Against Wisconsin
UCLA arrives at the Rose Bowl carrying real momentum, with a 5-0 start and a No. 12 national ranking after knocking off Oregon. For Wisconsin, this is the kind of early-season measuring-stick game that can say plenty about where the Badgers stand, even after opening 4-1 and putting themselves in position for a meaningful October road test.
The matchup also puts a spotlight on how Wisconsin handles a Bruin offense that has leaned on Wayne Knight and a running game that has been hard to slow. The betting market appears to favor UCLA to keep rolling, but the Badgers have enough on the board already to make this a useful indicator of whether they can hang with a team that has looked the part of a top-15 contender so far. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsins Fast Start Has Fans Debating Whos Delivering And Who Isnt
Wisconsins 4-1 start and 2-0 mark in conference play have done more than boost the mood around Camp Randall. They have also sharpened the conversation about which players have helped drive the early success and which ones still have room to come around as the season settles in. Through five games, the Badgers have seen some clearly positive surprises emerge from roles that were not always expected to produce this much so soon.
Jacob Harris, Gavin Lahm and Sebastian Cheeks have stood out as players outperforming expectations, while PJ Wilkins, Justus Boone and Abu Sama III have not quite matched the level Wisconsin has needed from them yet. Those kinds of early-season judgments are never final, especially this early in the year, but they do matter for a team trying to keep building on a strong start and sort out where the biggest gains still have to come from. [Read more 🡒]
Colton Joseph Has Extra Motivation For Wisconsins Biggest Road Test
Colton Joseph has a built-in storyline for Wisconsins trip to UCLA, and it starts with the setting as much as the opponent. The quarterback said he is excited to play in his home state and experience the Rose Bowl for the first time, a neat twist for a Badgers team heading into one of its biggest road tests of the season. Coming out of the bye week, Joseph also pointed to the work the offense put in during the break, with the offensive line spending time preparing for the challenge ahead.
Wisconsin has a little extra edge after being left out of the AP Top 25, and Joseph said the group understands the importance of responding on the road. UCLAs defense will demand clean football, and ball security came up as a major point of emphasis in his media availability. With family support in the stands and a familiar backdrop for him personally, Joseph enters the game with more than just a conference matchup on his mind. [Read more 🡒]