Wisconsin was not included in 247Sports’ Brad Crawford’s updated ranking of college football’s most impressive facilities on Monday.
The list includes 30 programs, including the Big Ten’s Penn State (No. 30), USC (No. 29), Illinois (No. 22), Michigan (No. 18), Maryland (No. 16), Northwestern (No. 13), Nebraska (No. 8), Ohio State (No. 7) and Oregon (No. 1).
Related: Post-spring Big Ten football 2024 power rankings, starting quarterback rankings
The Badgers have seemingly fallen behind in college football’s never-ending facilities arm race. That said, the program was recently approved for a new $285 million indoor practice facility.
The project is set to replace the Camp Randall Memorial Sports Center — commonly known as The Shell — and the 80-yard football practice field in the McClain Center with a new state-of-the-art facility. It is still reportedly being designed, with construction set to start in 2025.
The state of college football, and college athletics as a whole, is currently in flux. Right now, athletic departments have record revenue and minimal operating expenses due to the players not being directly paid. That money funds each schools’ other sports in most cases, or is funneled into facilities like seen in Crawford’s ranking.
.@BCrawford247 ranks college football's 30 most impressive facilities in 2024: https://t.co/9moZ4koXGk pic.twitter.com/DzW9AnwcRp
— 247Sports (@247Sports) May 13, 2024
Wisconsin is a ‘have’ when it comes to revenue. The Big Ten pays out record money each year thanks to its new television deal. The hope is the program’s new practice facility brings it up to the level of the other top contenders in the country.
All of these things matter when discussing how programs differentiate themselves in the eyes of recruits. While money may mean more to recruits now than it once did, facilities still play into that decision. The good news for Badgers fans: there is action being taken to ensure this ranking isn’t the same in the future.
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