Wisconsin is Going Bowling—Early Look at Where the Badgers Could be Headed

The Badgers secured bowl eligibility for the season on Saturday as they defeated Rutgers 31-10. Wisconsin is now 6-3 on the season with three games remaining on the regular-season schedule.

Where will the Badgers play in December?

The latest bowl projections have the Badgers playing in a variety of different games, including the Music City Bowl in Nashville and the Pinstripe Bowl in New York. Both games would give Luke Fickell’s team a chance to play an out-of-conference opponent.

Athlon Sports Has Wisconsin Facing Oklahoma in Nashville

Ryan HOpkins — Wisconsin quarterback Ryan Hopkins (10) is tackled by Rutgers defensive back DK Gilley (9) during the second quarter of their game Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Athlon Sports updated its bowl projections following Week 10 of the college football season. Athlon Sports has the Badgers playing the Oklahoma Sooners in the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tennessee, on Wednesday, December 30.

This game would be played at Nissan Stadium in Nashville and pit the Badgers against an opponent from the SEC.

This would be the second time the Badgers would play in the Music City Bowl. In 2003, the Badgers lost to Auburn 28-14 in the Music City Bowl.

A game against Oklahoma would also be a good test for Wisconsin. The Sooners have had their struggles this season, but a matchup against the Badgers would be highly anticipated. It would also give Wisconsin a chance to finish its season with a win over a program that has traditionally been among college football's biggest names.

Wisconsin was previously projected to play Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

GET READY TO COMPETE

Pick your champion (you can change it later). We’ll email you when brackets open.

No purchase necessary. 50 U.S./D.C. 18+. Entry opens 3PM ET Dec 6, 2026 and closes 8PM ET Dec 18, 2026. Void where prohibited.See for complete details. The College Football Playoff (CFP) is not a sponsor or administrator of this contest.

CBS Sports Sends Wisconsin to New York

CBS Sports sees things differently.

The latest bowl projections from CBS Sports have the Badgers traveling to New York City for the Pinstripe Bowl on Saturday, December 26, at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York, to play the Pittsburgh Panthers.

Wisconsin fans are familiar with the Pinstripe Bowl. The Badgers played in the game in 2018 and defeated Miami 35-3 in the game.

This would give Wisconsin another opportunity to play a well-known program in a different setting. The game would be much different than playing in Nashville against an SEC team. Playing at Yankee Stadium would also give the Badgers a chance to return to a bowl venue where they've already had success.

CBS Sports had previously projected Wisconsin to play North Carolina in the Pinstripe Bowl.

Prior to Saturday’s game against Rutgers, there were many other bowl games that Wisconsin could be playing in, including the Music City Bowl against South Carolina or Ole Miss in ESPN’s earlier bowl projections and the Cactus Bowl against Baylor in On3’s earlier bowl projections.

Those are a lot of different options for Wisconsin.

As the regular season winds down, Wisconsin still has games against Maryland, Purdue and Minnesota. Winning another game or two could put the Badgers in a better position when the bowl invitations go out. The next three games could make a difference in whether Wisconsin ends up in Nashville, New York or somewhere else entirely.

The Badgers missed out on a postseason game in 2025, but Saturday's victory guaranteed them bowl eligibility this season. Where they end up playing in December is still to be determined.

Add us as a preferred source on Google