Badgers getting national audience for Oct. 26 matchup against Penn State

The Badgers could be 5-3 and on a three-game win streak entering that contest.

Wisconsin running back Darrion Dupree celebrates his touchdown run with offensive lineman Jake Renfro during the second half against Rutgers at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, N.J., on Oct, 12, 2024. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Badgers football team is coming off back-to-back blowout victories and it'll be looking for another when Wisconsin faces off against Northwestern on Saturday at Martin Stadium in Evanston, Ill.

If the Badgers can beat the Wildcats on Saturday, they'll improve to 5-3 entering their Oct. 26 matchup against third-ranked Penn State at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis. A Wisconsin team at home on a win streak against an unbeaten top-5 opponent is exactly the type of game that calls for a national audience, and the Badgers will get one.

🚨 6:30 PM CT kick vs Penn State on NBC 🚨 pic.twitter.com/7eWUYFaGg1

— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) October 14, 2024

It was announced on Monday the game between the Badgers and Nittany Lions on Oct. 26 will be televised on NBC, and it will be a 6:30 p.m. kickoff at Camp Randall. It'l be no easy task for the Badgers, but it has all the makings of a great game.

The Badgers crushed Purdue 52-6 on Oct. 5 and followed up with a 42-7 dismantling of Rutgers on Saturday. They could make it three in a row against Northwestern, and they'd have all the momentum in the world going into the big matchup.

The Nittany Lions, meanwhile, narrowly escaped with a 33-30 victory over Southern Cal on Saturday. Aside from blowouts over West Virginia and Kent State, Penn State has been in mostly close games this year, beating Bowling Green by just a touchdown on Sept. 7; the Nittany Lions beat No. 22 Illinois 21-7 on Sept. 28; and they beat UCLA 27-11 on Oct. 5.

If the Badgers can keep things close, perhaps they can be the first team to knock off the Nittany Lions on Oct. 26.