UW’s 2022 football schedule upended by COVID-19 shortened 2020 season

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - The coming season for the University of Wisconsin promises to be special one for the Badgers. For starters, the players will take the field for the first time on the newly dubbed Barry Alvarez Field. However, because of schedule changes announced by the Big Ten on Tuesday, the conference opponents who will be coming to Camp Randall to play on that field has been completely switched – except for the most important one.

To make up for the fallout from the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, the league has reversed the conference schedule. Now, the teams that were supposed to host matchups will now have to travel to the other school to play. The Big Ten explained the decision because some teams would have had to play two games in a row on the road against the other college. For example, the conference pointed out, the Badgers would have to go to Purdue again this season and Nebraska would be coming here in back-to-back seasons.

Additionally, because the Oct. 15 game will no longer be at home, homecoming festivities will happen the next week, on Oct. 22, against Purdue.

The one home game that isn’t going anywhere is the season ending Battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe. The Golden Gophers will still be coming to Madison on Nov. 26 – and, hopefully, they will bring that Axe and will have to leave it here. The last rivalry showdown was played at TCF Bank Stadium, in Minneapolis.

Wisconsin’s conference season will now open on Sept. 24, when they travel to Columbus, Ohio, to kickoff against The Ohio State University, before coming home to meet the University of Illinois. The Badgers full season starts three weeks before the Buckeyes game when Illinois State comes to town. During that game, UW will celebrate the CR Project’s grand opening. The next two weeks will see Washington State and New Mexico State arrive at Camp Randall.

Full Schedule (all times TBD)

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