While Camp Randall Stadium is a great home-field advantage for the Wisconsin Badgers, this week's opponent also has a strong, loyal following.
The Oregon Ducks have the nation's second longest streak, with 20 consecutive victories. Only Florida State's 35-game streak is longer.
Built in 1967 on a 90-acre site adjacent to the main campus, Autzen Stadium was built at an original cost of $2.5 million, which was inexpensive for its day.
So why is Oregon's Autzen Stadium such an advantage for the Ducks, when it is one of the smallest stadiums in the Pac-10 Conference?
What the statistics show is that the support the fans give them is very strong.
Last season, Autzen was filled to 108 percent of its seating capacity, averaging 45,093 people per game.
Also, a sense of intimacy is created between the fans and the players, as the crowd is only 30 feet from the field at its closest point.
Inside AutzenEugene, Oregon Oregon has finished without a loss at home four times: 1990, 1998, 1999, 2000 The Sporting News' Top 10 Stadium Rankings
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While Autzen Stadium does not have an imposing nickname such as the Big House, the Swamp or the Horseshoe, it may be the most intimidating for an opposing team.
In addition, the Duck fans are extremely boisterous. For example, in a critical early-season game against UCLA, the crowd made the difference between victory and defeat.
After ESPN's College Gameday's road show visited the Oregon campus for the first time ever, the fans made so much noise that the Bruins, who had defeated nationally ranked Michigan the week before, were called for five false-start penalties in the first half alone.
The penalties rattled UCLA, and they were never able to recover, falling to the Ducks 29-10.
'The atmosphere here was amazing,' Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington said after the game. 'Right from the opening kickoff it was electric. I've been here for four years, and it still gave me the chills.'
As loud as it is for Pac-10 opponents, expecting Duck fans to be quieter for nonconference opponents may be an illusion.
'Apparently, it's a group that comes in and they're going to be loud every snap from the first snap that your offense has the ball until the last snap. They're just into the game,' Wisconsin Head Coach Barry Alvarez said.
With the recent success that the Ducks have enjoyed, more national respect is being paid to the Oregon football program. This respect has also been enjoyed by Autzen Stadium as it was selected by The Sporting News as one of the top-10 stadiums in the country, ousting some more famous stadiums such as Ohio State's Ohio Stadium.
With a renovation project scheduled to be completed for the start of the 2002 season, an additional 12,000 Duck fans will be there tormenting the opposing crowd for many years to come.
