Why is Wisconsin football playing Alabama at Camp Randall Stadium?

Wisconsin Football entered the 2024 college football season with the goal of taking a step forward under Luke Fickell, especially as the College Football Playoff field expanded to 12 teams

So far, the Badgers are doing just that. But now the Badgers face their biggest challenge yet, not just of the season, but of the Fickell era: No. 4 Alabama.

It is also one of the most significant non-conference games played at Camp Randall Stadium, as the Badgers have never hosted a Power Four team in the CFP era that was ranked in the top five in the US LBM Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25 Poll.

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And so, ahead of Saturday’s kickoff between Wisconsin and Alabama in college football, curiosity has been aroused as to why a team like Alabama would travel to a true non-conference away game against Wisconsin when Alabama hasn’t traveled to a Big Ten country in the regular season since 2011?

Here’s more on why Wisconsin is hosting Alabama at Camp Randall and more:

Location Wisconsin vs. Alabama

Stadium: Camp Randall Stadium
Location: Madison, Wisconsin

Wisconsin-Alabama will take place in Week 3 of the college football season at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. Camp Randall, which sits right on the shores of Lake Mendota, has a capacity of 76,057 spectators, according to its website. Built in 1917, Camp Randall is the seventh-oldest college football stadium in the country, according to a 2020 UGAWire article by USA TODAY Sports.

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Why is Wisconsin playing Alabama at home in Madison?

Saturday’s Week 3 nonconference game between Alabama and Wisconsin marks the start of a home-and-away series agreed to by both programs in 2019.

The home-and-home series begins this year in Madison, with the return match next season in Tuscaloosa at Saban Field in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

“We are excited to add another quality non-conference opponent for a home-and-away series in Wisconsin,” Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne said in a 2019 statement. “The trip to Camp Randall, one of the oldest stadiums in the country, will make for a great away contest to begin the 2024 season. Having them return to Bryant-Denny Stadium in 2025 will certainly boost our home schedule as well, and we look forward to the opportunity.”

When the series was announced, both programs were in a different era than they are today. Paul Chryst was still the man working the sidelines for Wisconsin while Nick Saban was still at Alabama – quite a glimpse into the rapidly and ever-changing landscape of college sports in 2024.

“Players come here to play against the best teams in big games – it’s a way to compete,” then-Badgers athletic director Barry Alvarez said in an article on Wisconsin’s website in 2019. “A matchup like this gets your team excited. It raises the tempo during the offseason. Just like when we opened the season with LSU and Alabama a few years ago.”

It also goes without saying — especially in a college sports era like this — that Saturday’s game between Wisconsin and Alabama is a rarity in college football today. The reason for that is that conference realignment eliminates home-and-away series and neutral-site games between Power 4 opponents.

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Does Wisconsin get paid to play Alabama?

No. According to the contract for the game obtained by the USA TODAY Network, Wisconsin will pay Alabama $500,000 as part of the home-and-home agreement between the Badgers and Crimson Tide.

When Wisconsin travels to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, next year, the Crimson Tide will also pay the Badgers $500,000. The contract, signed in 2019, also states that the visiting team will receive 400 free tickets and have the option to purchase up to 3,600 additional tickets for the price of a single-game ticket.

History of the Wisconsin-Alabama series

The Badgers and Crimson Tide last met in a neutral site game in Week 1 of the 2015 college football season at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. In what turned out to be an evenly matched game – a 35-17 win for then-No. 3 Alabama – eventual 2015 Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry ran for three touchdowns on 13 carries and 148 rushing yards. Wisconsin quarterback Joel Stave finished the loss completing 26 of 39 passes for 228 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

Here is a breakdown of the results of previous Wisconsin-Alabama games:

1928: Wisconsin won 15-0
2015 (game on neutral ground): Alabama won 35-17
2024: To be announced

Note: Wisconsin’s game against Alabama in 1928 is not counted as a Big Ten vs. SEC game because the Crimson Tide were part of the Southern Conference at the time. The SEC was founded in 1933.

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When was the last time Wisconsin played against an SEC team in the regular season?

The last time Wisconsin played an SEC team in the regular season was in Week 1 of the 2016 college football season in Green Bay at Lambeau Field against No. 5 LSU.

Perhaps thanks to the Packers’ luck that the Lombardi Trophies were within sight, Wisconsin narrowly beat the LSU Tigers 16-14. Badgers kicker Rafael Gaglianone kicked the 47-yard field goal with 3:47 left in the fourth quarter that would give them the lead after Wisconsin’s defense sealed the victory with an interception.

Here’s a look at Wisconsin’s past regular season games against SEC opponents, including neutral-site games, going back to the Badgers’ first season in 1889.

Score in brackets

1971: Lost to No. 18 LSU (38-28)
1972: Lost to No. 9 LSU (27-7)
2014: Lost to No. 13 LSU *
2015: Lost to No. 3 Alabama (37-17)*
2016: Beat No. 5 LSU (16-14)*

* indicates a game on neutral ground

Note: This list does not include games against the two newest SEC programs (Oklahoma and Texas). Wisconsin’s game against Alabama in 1928 is not included in this list because the SEC was not formed until 1933.

Wisconsin football record against SEC

Overall balance: 4-12
Bowl game record: 3-8

Wisconsin has an overall record of 4-12 against SEC programs (if this program is listed as a member of the SEC)The Badgers have a 3-8 record in bowl games against SEC programs.

Here is a complete list of Wisconsin’s results compared to all-time SEC programs according to MCubed:

1971: Lost to No. 18 LSU
1972: Lost to No. 9 LSU
1981: Losing to Tennessee in the 1981 Garden State Bowl
1984: Losing to Kentucky in the Hall of Fame Classic Bowl 1984
1997: Lost to No. 12 Georgia in the 1998 Outback Bowl
2003: Lost to Auburn in the 2003 Music City Bowl
2004: Lost to No. 8 Georgia in the 2005 Outback Bowl
2005: Defeat No. 6 Auburn in the 2006 Capital One Bowl
2006: Defeated No. 12 Arkansas in the 2007 Capital One Bowl
2007: Lost to No. 16 Tennessee in the 2008 Outback Bowl
2013: Lost to No. 18 South Carolina in the 2014 Capital One Bowl
2014: Lost to No. 13 LSU *
2014: Defeat No. 19 Auburn in the 2015 Outback Bowl
2015: Lost to No. 3 Alabama *
2016: Hit No. 5 LSU *
2023: Lost to No. 13 LSU in the 2024 ReliaQuest Bowl

* refers to a regular season game on a neutral pitch

Note: This list only includes Wisconsin games against SEC opponents when those programs were members of the SEC. It does not include games against the two newest SEC programs (Oklahoma and Texas).