Oct. 17 – Football vs. Iowa
After playing home games against highly ranked teams such as Penn State and Ohio State last season, Wisconsin's home schedule this season is relatively weak. But one game Badger fans cannot miss this year is Wisconsin's contest against Iowa.
After failing to qualify for a bowl game in 2006 and 2007, Iowa put together an impressive 2008 campaign, which included a marquee victory over Penn State to spoil the Nittany Lions' undefeated season, and a 31-10 drubbing of South Carolina in the Outback Bowl.
Iowa completed the 2008 season with a 9-4 record, with the Hawkeyes' four losses coming by a combined 12 points.
Iowa loses the 2008 Big Ten Offensive Player of the year in running back Shonn Greene after he bolted to the NFL after his junior season. But the Hawkeyes will welcome back many key contributors from last season in 2009, including junior quarterback Ricky Stanzi.
Stanzi took over for Jake Christensen early in 2008 and finished the season third in the Big Ten in passer rating and fifth in touchdown passes with 14.
Besides Stanzi, Iowa will return 13 starters, including four on its offensive line, which paved the way for Greene last season, and seven on a defensive unit that allowed the fewest points per game in the conference in 2008 with 13.
Iowa hammered Wisconsin in Iowa City last season, 38-16, in senior quarterback Dustin Sherer's first career start. The Badgers will look to avenge the lopsided loss and bring the Heartland Trophy back to Madison.
Dec. 2 – Men's Basketball vs. Duke
Wisconsin's clash against the Blue Devils in this season's 2009 ACC-Big Ten Challenge will surely be the Badgers' greatest nonconference test.
Wisconsin and Duke met two years ago in the same event. The Blue Devils controlled the game from the beginning and cruised to an 82-58 victory. The Badgers appeared rattled in one of the nation's most intimidating arenas in the 2007 contest, but this time Wisconsin will have home court on its side.
As usual, Duke had a remarkable season in 2008-'09. The Blue Devils went 25-6 in the regular season and notched victories over Purdue, Xavier and Wake Forest, teams all ranked in the top 10. Duke then beat Florida State in its conference tournament to claim its 17th ACC Championship. The Blue Devils earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and knocked off Binghamton and Texas to advance to the Sweet 16 before falling to eventual Final Four participant Villanova.
Duke will be just as talented in 2009-'10. The Blue Devils will return all five starters, including senior forward Gerald Henderson, who led Duke last season with 16.1 points per game, and key contributors in senior guard Jon Scheyer and junior forward Kyle Singler.
The Blue Devils will represent an enormous challenge for Wisconsin this season, but a home date against Duke will be a fantastic opportunity for the Badgers to make an impact on the national college basketball scene.
Feb. 6 – Men's hockey vs. Michigan
Two years ago, the NHL developed the Winter Classic, an annual game taking place outdoors in the middle of winter, with the first contest played at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo, N.Y., and the most recent one taking place at Wrigley Field. The creative event has been successful, drawing huge crowds and impressive television ratings. The Wisconsin athletic department has noticed and decided to get in on the fun (and the money) by scheduling an outdoor winter event of its own, called the Camp Randall Hockey Classic.
Wisconsin last played a game in outdoor conditions when it faced Ohio State at Lambeau Field in 2006.
The Camp Randall Hockey Classic has the potential to break the record for most-attended hockey game. The current record is 74,544 people, which was set in 2001 at Spartan Stadium in a game between Michigan State and Michigan. Camp Randall has a capacity of over 80,000.
The event should be quite a spectacle, but the game itself will not be bad either. Wisconsin enters this season on the heels of a disappointing 2008-'09 season in which it failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
Michigan did qualify for the NCAA Tournament last season but had an early exit after being upset in the first round by Air Force.
