Wisconsin Football: Top 30 Games in Wisconsin Badgers History
By Jim Oxley
Bucky Badger at Camp Randall Stadium. Jim Oxley photo
#8 Wisconsin vs. #2 Illinois: October 4, 1962
Wisconsin 20, Illinois 7
The 1954 season saw the Badgers make it to the team’s first Rose Bowl in school history, and without a home victory over the #2 Illinois Fighting Illini, the Badgers may never have punched a ticket to Pasadena.
Led by star fullback Alan Ameche, the Badgers stormed past Illinois 20-7, vaulting the team to its first-ever #1 ranking in school history (since 1936 and the inception of the AP Poll).
The Badgers went on to a 6-3-1 season and a Big Ten Championship, and the Rose Bowl (which we’ll get to a little bit later).
Next: 1951: Wisconsin vs. Ohio State