Wisconsin’s trip to UCLA is heading into the waiting game.
The Big Ten has already set five of the seven conference matchups in Week 7, but the Badgers and Bruins will have to wait until after this weekend’s games to learn when they’ll kick off and which channel will carry the matchup. That leaves Wisconsin’s cross-country date in limbo for now, even with the conference schedule otherwise taking shape.
So far, the league has locked in one Friday night game for Week 7: Washington at Purdue at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
On Saturday, Ohio State at Indiana is set for 12:00 p.m. ET on FOX, Northwestern at Michigan State will also kick at 12:00 p.m.
ET on Peacock, Rutgers at Maryland is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network, and Penn State at Michigan is listed for 3:30 p.m.
ET with the network still to be determined.
Wisconsin and Nebraska are the two games still waiting on final kickoff details.
The UCLA matchup has a real chance to land in a prime evening slot. That fits the Bruins’ recent schedule, too.
Both of UCLA’s home games this season have come at night, with the Bruins opening against Purdue at 8:00 p.m. Pacific and then facing San Diego State at 4:15 p.m.
Pacific.
UCLA enters Week 6 ranked No. 21 and sitting at 4-0 under new head coach Bob Chesney. The Bruins’ first big test comes on the road against No.
13 Oregon, a game where they’re listed as 11.5-point underdogs. That one is set for 12:30 p.m.
Pacific on CBS this weekend.
In Other News...
Wisconsin Just Won Again And The Poll Still Sent A Message
Wisconsin kept rolling with a 31-3 win over Michigan State, stretching its winning streak to four straight and doing it in convincing fashion. The Badgers looked every bit like a team that belongs in the national conversation, but the AP Poll did not move them into the Top 25, leaving them on the outside despite the latest emphatic result.
Instead, Wisconsin slid from the top spot among receiving votes to No. 3 in that group as the poll barely shifted elsewhere, with Pitt entering at No. 25 and Missouri climbing to No. 14 after beating Florida. The timing adds another layer of intrigue, because the Badgers now get a bye in Week 6 before a matchup with ranked UCLA, giving them a little extra time to make their case in a landscape that still seems unconvinced. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsins PFF Grades Show One Big Reason To Feel Better
Wisconsin kept the good times rolling at home with a win over Michigan State after taking down Penn State on the road, and the early Big Ten picture looks a lot better because of it. The Badgers are 4-1 overall and 2-0 in league play, and the Pro Football Focus grades from Saturday help explain why the last two weeks have felt like a turning point.
The numbers point to a team that is winning in the trenches on both sides of the ball, with strong showings in pass blocking, run defense and pass rushing. There were standouts all over the field and enough pressure production to make this more than just a couple of clean scoreboard results, which is exactly the kind of sign Wisconsin wanted after an uneven start. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsins Big Ten Rise Suddenly Feels Real Under Luke Fickell
The Big Ten has a way of rearranging its own pecking order once October starts to bite, and this latest set of rankings reflects just how quickly the league can turn on a few Saturdays. Indiana sits at No. 1, with Ohio State and UCLA right behind it, a reminder that recent results and momentum now matter more than the reputations these teams carried into the season. For Wisconsin, that broader shake-up is part of the backdrop, because the league around it suddenly looks more volatile and more wide open than it did a few weeks ago.
That is what makes Luke Fickells first real climb in Madison feel noteworthy. The Badgers are no longer living in the shadow of preseason assumptions so much as trying to cash in on a season where the Big Ten hierarchy keeps shifting and every game seems to carry a little more weight. With recent outcomes changing the conversation across the conference and upcoming matchups still to sort the field out, Wisconsins rise does not feel like a fluke anymore. It feels like the start of something sturdier, even if the next step still has to be earned on the field. [Read more 🡒]
