Wisconsin Football Conference Opponents Announced Through 2028

Expansion in college football has been a huge talking point all season. It’s no different for Wisconsin football fans, who will welcome Oregon, Washington, USC, and UCLA to the Big Ten. With those additions, the schedules will need to be reconfigured. Without divisions, the Badgers won’t be playing the usual opponents.

The Big Ten announced the conference matchups for all of the Big Ten teams for the next five seasons (2024-2028).

Here’s a quick breakdown of each season.

Conference Opponents for Wisconsin Football in 2024

Home Games:
Minnesota
Oregon
Penn State
Purdue

Away Games:
Iowa
Nebraska
Northwestern
Rutgers
USC

The first thing you notice in 2024 is which of the new teams the Badgers will play. They are taking on Oregon at home but will travel to Southern California to take on USC.

Overall, I think this is a relatively favorable schedule. Despite only having four home games, facing Penn State, Oregon, and Minnesota at home are some of the ones I’d like to have at Camp Randall. Going to USC is going to be a challenge. Iowa and the notorious Northwestern away games are always tough too.

The changes from the original 2024 conference schedule include Michigan, Indiana, and Maryland coming off the schedule. They are replaced by Oregon, Rutgers, and Northwestern. I’d call that a wash.

Conference Opponents for Wisconsin Football in 2025

Home Games:
Illinois
Iowa
Maryland
Ohio State
Washington

Away Games:
Indiana
Michigan
Minnesota
Oregon

Year two of the new-look Big Ten suddenly looks a lot more difficult. Notable matchups include Ohio State, Washington, Michigan, and Oregon. And that’s not including the normal rivalry games with Minnesota and Iowa.

Luckily, the Wisconsin football team will host Ohio State, Iowa, and Washington. But the road games to Oregon, Michigan, and even Minnesota make this a challenging year.

On top of all that, they are still scheduled to travel to Tuscaloosa to play Alabama in a nonconference game. 2025 is going to be a tough year for the Wisconsin football team.

Conference Opponents for Wisconsin Football in 2026

Home Games:
Michigan State
Minnesota
Rutgers
USC

Away Games:
Iowa
Maryland
Penn State
Purdue
UCLA

The Wisconsin football team will have to wait until 2026 to face the UCLA Bruins and they are going to the Rose Bowl to face them. This brings back vintage Wisconsin football vibes, playing the Bruins in the Rose Bowl Stadium. The Badgers have won the last three games against the Bruins.

The Badgers will also face USC for a second time, but round two will be at home. It would be nice to welcome the Trojans to Camp Randall for the first time (since 1965) for a nice chilly November game.

Going to Iowa and Penn State isn’t going to be a cakewalk either.

Conference Opponents for Wisconsin Football in 2027

Home Games:
Iowa
Nebraska
Northwestern
Penn State
UCLA

Away Games:
Illinois
Michigan State
Minnesota
USC

By 2027, we can’t know how all of these teams are going to look. Will Fickell turn up the heat and start putting together top-20 recruiting classes? Will Lincoln Riley even be at USC? Will Nebraska actually be back?

It’s hard to gauge games four or five years away because so much can change in college football.

But right now, this also looks like one of the more favorable schedules for the Wisconsin football team in the next five seasons. Hosting Penn State and UCLA will be nice. Avoiding Ohio State and Michigan for the second consecutive year will also have its perks. The USC away game is the only game the Badgers have to go on the road that actually seems daunting.

Conference Opponents for Wisconsin Football in 2028

Home Games:
Indiana
Michigan
Minnesota
Oregon

Away Games:
Iowa
Nebraska
Northwestern
Ohio State
Washington

Back to another tough schedule in 2028. Michigan and Oregon at home are going to be tough games. Going to Ohio State and Washington could be even tougher. Going to Northwestern is always tough, no matter how bad they are. How much do you want to bet the Iowa game will be a night game?

I always love having the Gophers come to Camp Randall.

Final Thoughts on Wisconsin Football’s Conference Schedules

The Big Ten is going to be a lot more challenging for the Wisconsin football team. The days when the Badgers can have a mediocre team and still win a weak division are going to be gone. There are no more divisions. No more easy years. These schedules are going to be loaded year in and year out.

I like that the number of home/away games will alternate each year. Four home games with five away games one year, and then it flips the next. It keeps things nice and even.

The rivalry games also alternate, so we won’t have to worry about going to Minnesota or Iowa in consecutive years. They are also split, so we won’t have Iowa and Minnesota both on the road or at home any given year.

Nine conference games will still allow the Badgers to play two nonconference games. That will give them opportunities to play teams like Alabama in 2024/2025 and possibly an international game with Pitt in 2027.

Overall, if you like competition, you are going to like how the future looks in the Big Ten. The Wisconsin football team is definitely going to be tested more than in the past, but that could be a good thing.

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