Since the day Bret Bielema left the Wisconsin Badgers to become the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks all of us have been waiting for a showdown between the two programs.
Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema left Madison, WI for Fayetteville, AR back in December of 2012. Since then, many Wisconsin fans have wanted at the very least to face the former Badgers head coach. So before it’s too late, I say the two sides come together and get this done.
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Bielema stated before the regular season last year that he was open to facing his former team. But only after the players he recruited have left the program. The earliest that would happen would be in 2018.
With non-conference opponents scheduled ahead of time, that is not possible for either team. Both the Badgers and Razorbacks have full non-conference schedules in both 2018 and 2019.
So what about 2020 you ask?
Wisconsin’s only out of conference game scheduled that year for now is a home date with Syracuse September 12th. Arkansas does not have a non conference opponent scheduled that year. In fact, the Razorbacks do not have any non conference games scheduled from 2020 on, with the exception of a full slate in 2021.
What I would suggest is a “home-and-home” series between the two programs like Wisconsin did with LSU in 2014 and 2016. Neutral sites would not only generate more money for both schools, but also generate a ton of attentention and excitement.
They could try to schedule a game either as part of the Lambeau Field College Classic, or even the newly built U.S. Bank Stadium. Speaking of new stadiums, the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta will play host to the Chick Fil A Classic from now on. With matchups scheduled through the 2020 season, it’s wide open after that.
Same goes for the AdvoCare Classic at AT&T Stadium. Games are scheduled for this year, 2018, and 2019 only. NRG Stadium in Houston plays host to the AdvoCare Texas Kickoff providing another option for the two teams.
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Wisconsin has played in both AdvoCare kickoff games as well as the Lambeau Field College Classic. Arkansas has not played in any of the aforementioned kickoff games nor are they scheduled for any in the immediate future.