Wisconsin Football: Top 30 Games in Wisconsin Badgers History

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Sep 20, 2014; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers fans take part in the traditional Jump Around between the third and fourth quarters against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin won 68-17. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

#12 Wisconsin vs. Purdue: October 10, 1998

Score: Wisconsin 31, Purdue 24

On the surface, this Big Ten matchup doesn’t seem to be so significant. Yes, it was a conference win in the middle of a season that would see the Wisconsin Badgers go 11-1, share the conference championship with Ohio State, and eventually go to the Rose Bowl.

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It was a homecoming game, Ron Dayne was in the middle of one of many great seasons, and the Badgers were undefeated.

A nice win? Yes. But it doesn’t look like a top 30 game.

Well, in this case, the game is less important than what was born at the end of the third quarter.

With scoring stagnant and Drew Brees and the Boilermakers set to head toward the north endzone and the student section at Camp Randall Stadium, a marketing employee pushed play on House of Pain’s 1992 hit “Jump Around,” hoping to get the students fired up.

To make a long story short, it worked, and the students proceeded to follow the song’s directions and jump around.

A tradition was born that lasts to this day. Oh, and the Badgers won too.

Wisconsin briefly shut things down in 2003 while Camp Randall was under construction, fearing structural damage would result from all the vibration. Officials determined that wasn’t the case, and the tradition continued, and continues to this day.

Next: 2015: Wisconsin-Auburn