The Wisconsin Badgers will begin their 2024 season on Friday night, hosting Western Michigan at Camp Randall Stadium. It will be the sixth all-time meeting between the two programs and the first since 2017.
To this point, the Badgers have gone 4-1 in their five previous matchups against the Broncos, most recently defeating them 24-16 in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 2, 2017. Western Michigan’s head coach for that contest: current Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck.
The last time that Western Michigan came to Camp Randall was on Aug. 31, 2000, a game in which Wisconsin won 19-7. The Broncos had beaten the Badgers in their prior matchup 24-14 in 1988, their only win against Wisconsin all-time.
In honor of starting the year off against Western Michigan, let’s throwback to when Wisconsin met up with them in the Cotton Bowl Classic in 2017 #OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/Yl5Abnm1gJ
— Badger Enthusiast (@Badger_szn) August 12, 2024
In general, Wisconsin has posted a 36-1 overall record against the Mid-American Conference (MAC) throughout history.
The Badgers have won their last two season openers, defeating Illinois State in 2022 and Buffalo in 2023, and they’ll look to extend that to three straight victories against Western Michigan on Friday.