Camp Randall was rocking and rolling on Saturday against Michigan State and it was obvious on the TV that fans had shown up for the "Red Out" homecoming game. The official numbers back it up, it was a crowd of 67,001. That's the highest total so far this season for Camp Randall. Wisconsin football is still not to "sell out" capacity but it's climbing. Each home game this season has been better than the last.
Fans vote with their feet. Attendance goes up when a program is winning, and it goes down when a team is losing. The home opener in week 2 was 65,254, which is pretty low for a seating capacity of over 75k. It's actually lower than last season's season opener, which was the lowest in 30+ years. That attendance for the game against Miami (OH) was 65,952.
While Wisconsin went out and spent more money to build a new roster and create some more excitement, fans weren't bought back in yet. However, Wisconsin has been winning, and their second home game of the season attendance jumped to 66,545. This Big Ten (first) home game versus Michigan State attendance jumped again.
While it's still nothing to write home about. The Badgers being at 4-1 and the attendance continuing to climb is good news for Wisconsin. Fans are buying back into the program. Excitement is back in the air, and there is beginning to be belief again.
Today's official attendance for the #Badgers' homecoming game: 67,001
— John Steppe (@JSteppe1) October 3, 2026
Up from 65,254 in Week 2 and 66,545 in Week 3.
Devil's advocate: Or is there another explanation for the rising attendance?
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Let's pause for a second, as the rising attendance may also show just the opponents Wisconsin is playing. It went from Western Illinois, which is an FCS team, to a lower-level FBS team in Eastern Michigan, followed by a Big Ten foe: Michigan State. So, the rising attendance could purely be due to the caliber of opponents.
There's no way this can be refuted until we see more data. Wisconsin will be playing USC and Rutgers in the next two home matches. Those will both be great tests, as USC is a "good" opponent and Rutgers is not. If Wisconsin continues to win and it truly looks like the Badgers are back, the opponent won't matter. Badger fans will show up, and the opponent will matter less and less.
Seeing Wisconsin find success on the field. The Badgers are 4-1 and 2-0 in the Big Ten sure feels like fans are starting to show up again, but let's see what the next two games look like.
One thing is true: Wisconsin fans are starting to believe again in Luke Fickell. Everyone is moving over just a little on him. The anti-Fickell crowd may still want him gone, but has to agree things are looking better. The on-the-fence about Fickell group is starting to believe again. Now attendance is following, and maybe, just maybe, this season turns out to be magical after all.
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