Badgers Readying To Face Michigan State In Big 10 Championship

Normally, the University of Wisconsin Badgers football team would be kicking back and looking forward to a bowl game the first Saturday in December. But, this year, they’re glad to have an extra game this time around.

The Badgers are getting ready to face the Michigan State Spartans on Saturday night for the Big Ten championship and a chance to go back to the Rose Bowl.

Both teams got their first look at their surroundings on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium Friday afternoon. The facility’s capacity is just more than 63,000 fans where Camp Randall holds more than 80,000.

Both teams had walkthroughs on the field on Friday afternoon with no helmets, no pads. They had about an hour to get used to the stadium which is a retractable-roof stadium — essentially a domed stadium — the kind the Badgers haven’t played in since they were at the Metrodome in 2007. This kind of inside game will be unique to the players, but they’re pretty excited to get the chance, WISC-TV reported.

Not only is a trip to the Rose Bowl on the line, but it’s also a chance for teams to make history,

“We?ve done that really since Day 1. Going into this year, we had the nonconference schedule to get through and really talked about every game matters — in the division, out of the division. You really want to get that Leaders Division title, and that will buy you into the championship game and a chance to make history,” said Bret Bielema, Badgers head football coach. “One of the first goals of this team is to embrace expectations and make history. We’ve done that up to this point and hopefully move forward.”

On Friday, Badgers fans boarded two buses for the road trip to Indianapolis. The Wisconsin Alumni Association chartered the buses that left bright and early Friday from East Towne mall.

Ninety people in their Badgers red boarded the buses for the six-hour drive to Indianapolis to watch the Badgers play in the Big Ten Championship game.