‘Wear red. Wear it loud.’ Wisconsin Athletic Dept. asks fans to get in the spirit ahead of big game

Badgers to make sixth championship appearance Sat.

December 6, 2019 2:55 PM

Christina Lorey,

Posted: December 6, 2019 2:55 PM

Updated: August 31, 2021 12:28 PM

by Christina Lorey

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana — Paul Bunyan’s axe is back in Madison, and this weekend, the Badgers are hoping to bring home another big trophy.

The Wisconsin football team is playing in the Big Ten championship game Saturday, and the UW Athletic Department is calling on all Badger fans to show their support and wear red this Friday, Dec. 6.

Patrick Herb, director of brand strategy, says he’s reached out to Wisconsin fans across the world “in an effort to show our pride and unite Badger nation.”

If you’d like to participate, wear red, take a picture, post it to social media, tag @UWBadgers, and use #OnWisconsin to show your excitement.

‘Wear red. Wear it loud.’ Wisconsin Athletic Dept. asks fans to get in the spirit ahead of big game

The last time Wisconsin played in the Big Ten Championship was in 2017. While the oddsmakers have Ohio State as 16.5 point favorites heading into the game, history might be on the Badgers’ side: Since the Big Ten instituted a conference championship game in 2011, only twice has the game been a rematch from the regular season — 2011 and 2012. Both of those games featured the Badgers. And both of those times, the Badgers won.

A win this weekend for the Buckeyes would guarantee them a spot in the four-team playoff, but they may have that locked down regardless. So there’s a lot more on the line for the Badgers, who’ve been hot ever since they lost to the Buckeyes in Columbus this October. The Badgers have turned their season around, winning four consecutive games in November.

A win this weekend would keep them ahead of Penn State and Minnesota, which would send them to the Rose Bowl. The last time they played in Pasadena was Jan. 1, 2013. The Badgers last Rose Bowl win was 20 years ago.

But let’s not look too far ahead: You can cheer on the Badgers at the official campus watch party held inside the Union at Der Rath, starting at 7 p.m. Saturday.

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