We previewed Wisconsin’s opponents last week, but there are a couple of quirks with this year’s schedule worth talking about.
2 Bye Weeks?
Question: Why do the Badgers have 2 bye weeks in 2024?
Answer: Because the season is based on holidays, not calendar dates.
The Badgers aren’t special in 2024, everyone has 2 bye weeks.
About every 3 out of 10 years is a double bye week year. The college football season is based on the number of Saturdays from Labor Day to Thanksgiving. Because those holidays can move calendar dates from year to year, the number of Saturdays between them varies from 13 to 14. When there are 13 Saturdays, college football has 1 bye week. When there are 14 Saturdays, there are 2 bye weeks. Now you can sound smart when someone at work asks why the Badgers are off again in November.
Side note: there are teams that play in “week 0” this year too. They get 3 bye weeks.
Friday Night Lights
If you don’t like B1G football on Friday nights, blame FOX.
The Badgers have 2 Friday games in 2024
- Week 1 vs Western Michigan on Friday 8/30 at 8:00 PM CST on FS1
- Week 14 vs Minnesota on Friday 11/28 at 11:00 AM CST on CBS
So the week 14 Battle for the Ax won’t be under the lights, which kinda sucks. It’s the only early Friday game in the B1G, and the Badgers got stuck with it. I personally have to leave my family Thanksgiving early to make the game. Not ideal.
Friday night is traditionally reserved for high school football. The NFL isn’t allowed to televise any games on Friday night or Saturday from the 2nd weekend in Sept. through the 2nd weekend in Dec. This is part of an antitrust agreement to protect high school and college football. (The NFL Black Friday game isn’t in primetime because of this law).
College football has no such laws blocking them from playing on Friday nights. And in the 2010s, the TV networks realized this was another way to increase revenue. Now in 2024, every CFB conference plays some (or many) Friday games during the season.
Last year the B1G played 8 Friday games, mostly on FS1. This year, they have a total of 15 Friday games. (14 at night). Why did the B1G agree to this increase in Friday games? Money. Specifically, the money needed to add Oregon and Washington to the Big Ten. No current Big Ten member wanted to take less money when the OU and UW joined, so they had to find a way to make more money.
Wisconsin agreed to this. They wanted Oregon and Washington in the B1G, but they didn’t want to take less money. Now, the fans have to rearrange some plans to see Bucky. It’s not the worst, but it’s not the best.
Regardless, WOF will still be there.
#BuckyByAMillion
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This article was written by Cole Tollison and edited by Hayden Breene