Wisconsin Badgers
USC
October 22, 2026 | Football
The Badgers host the Trojans on Saturday
MADISON, Wis. - Wisconsin Football (4-2, 2-1 B1G) faces off against the No. 16 USC Trojans (6-1, 3-1 B1G) on Saturday, Oct. 24 at Camp Randall Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on NBC.
The Badgers are coming off a 17-10 loss to No. 12 UCLA last Saturday night at the Rose Bowl. The Badgers return to Camp Randall for a showdown under the lights. Wisconsin has won 5 consecutive home games for the first time since a stretch from 2021 to 2022. Wisconsin has outscored opponents 121-22 at Camp Randall this season. UW has won 104 games at Camp Randall since 2007 – Only 10 FBS programs have more home wins over that span.
The Trojans bring a 6-1 record to Madison, most recently beating Penn State 31-23 on Saturday, Oct. 10. Quarterback Jayden Maiava is averaging 292 passing yards per game with 18 touchdowns and three interceptions. While USC’s offense finds itself at the top of the Big Ten, its defense ranks in the bottom three, averaging 239 yards allowed per game.
REUNION AT THE CAMP
This season marks the 10-year anniversary of one of the greatest campaigns in Wisconsin football history. The 2016 Badgers tallied a mark of 11-3, earned a Big Ten West Division title and defeated No. 12 Western Michigan to win the 2017 Cotton Bowl championship.
Against a schedule that featured five top-10 opponents, Wisconsin made a statement in its first game with a 16-14 win over No. 5 LSU at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. The Badgers would go on to knock off No. 8 Michigan State and No. 7 Nebraska and finish the regular season with six consecutive wins. UW’s only three losses – at No. 4 Michigan, vs. No. 2 Ohio State and vs. No. 8 Penn State in the Big Ten Championship Game – were all one-score games.
Led by Big Ten Coach of the Year Paul Chryst, Wisconsin spent 11 weeks ranked in the top-10 of the AP poll and climbed as high as No. 5.
OLB T.J. Watt earned first-team All-American honors, anchoring a defense that ranked fourth in the nation allowing just 15.6 points per game and held opponents to just 98.8 rushing yards per game. Consensus First-Team All-American T Ryan Ramczyk led an offense that ranked third nationally rushing for 203.1 yards per game and led the nation in time of possession.
Members of the 2016 team will be in attendance at Saturday's game and recognized on the field between the first and second quarter.
STOUT DEFENSE
Wisconsin's defense has been stout this season, helping UW score Big Ten wins at No. 13 Penn State and versus Michigan State. The Badger defense has allowed 13.3 points per game and 284.0 yards per game during conference play, the lowest clips in the Big Ten. UW's elite run defense was also on display during last week’s game when they held No. 12 UCLA, who came into the contest averaging 253.2 rushing yards per game, to just 120 yards on the ground.
HOMEFIELD ADVANTAGE
Wisconsin has won 5 straight home games, including 2 over ranked teams last November, and has scored 30+ points in each of its 3 home games this season. This fall, Wisconsin has outscored opponents at Camp Randall by an average of 33 points per game. The only Big Ten team with a higher clip in home games this season is Ohio St. (40.3).
SERIES HISTORY
USC leads the all-time series 7-1. The last time the two teams met was September 28, 2024 at USC, a contest the Trojans won 38-21. Wisconsin’s only win against USC was at the 2015 Holiday Bowl in 2015 (23-21).
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT - DL HAMMOND RUSSELL IV
DL Hammond Russell IV may have just arrived in Madison this season, but his connections to Badger football run deeper than meets the eye. The West Virginia transfer has known head coach Luke Fickell for years, thanks to their shared roots in Ohio. Russell says that connection is the reason he has such faith he’s in the right place.
“He’s someone I can trust. He’s also coached one of my cousins, so he’s a guy I understand and I know I’ll have plenty of conversations with. So, I trust him with my future and trust how he is going to develop me.”
Russell also speaks about the rest of the program, emphasizing that upon first impression, Wisconsin’s staff and players stood out to him immediately as having “great minds” and being incredibly unified in their goals.
Beyond the game, Russell has also quickly begun to feel at home in Madison. When he thinks back on his first time in the city, the views are what stand out.
“Right when I first got to Madison I saw the beautiful capitol. It was dark at night, so I didn’t see the lakes, but I could just see parts of them and I thought it was beautiful too. And I love the weather, I’ve always loved cold weather.”
Backed by his coaching staff, the city’s support and the rest of the DL room, Russell is looking ahead with optimism.
“I’m looking forward to continuing to develop individually and as a team, and just being able to strive and string on a ton of games, some wins,” he says. “Hopefully we can do some big things and continue to do what we do.”
