Wisconsin’s 2027 non-conference schedule is getting a late makeover.
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the Badgers and Colorado State have mutually agreed to cancel the game that was set for Sept. 18, 2027. Colorado State initiated the conversation so it could play seven home games that season, and it is expected to add another home date.
Wisconsin is expected to fill the opening with UMass.
On paper, that swap changes the feel of the schedule. Colorado State has struggled in recent years, with just one winning season over the last eight.
UMass has long carried the reputation of a rough out, having not reached five wins in a season since 1904, and it has played only 16 seasons since then. But the Minutemen have at least made some noise early in 2026.
Through two weeks, UMass is 2-0 after going into Piscataway and beating Rutgers, 37-21, in its opener and then putting up 37 more points against FCS Sacred Heart in Week 2. That already matches the program’s win total from the previous two seasons combined.
So while Wisconsin would still be dealing with a buy game and should be a heavy favorite unless the program completely falls apart, UMass is at least a name worth tracking now in a way it wasn’t before.
With that change, Wisconsin’s 2027 schedule looks complete. The Badgers open in Dublin, Ireland against Pittsburgh in the Aer Lingus Classic in Week 0, which will be the first game of the entire college football season.
They then come home to face FCS Southern Ilinois before the UMass game. Because they are playing in Week 0, Wisconsin will have a Week 1 bye.
The Big Ten portion is set in terms of opponents, even if the dates are not. At home, Wisconsin will play Iowa, Nebraska, Northwestern, Penn State and UCLA. On the road, the Badgers will head to Michigan State, Illinois, Minnesota and USC.
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