The crisp autumn air bites at my cheeks as I walk down Regent Street, the sea of red and white around me buzzing with a familiar, electric energy. It’s a scene I’ve lived a hundred times, yet it never gets old. I can already hear the distant, muffled roar from Camp Randall Stadium, a sound that’s been the soundtrack to my falls for as long as I can remember. Today, though, feels different. It’s not just another game day; it’s the start of a new chapter. As I weave through the crowds of eager Badgers fans, my mind isn’t just on the brats grilling on nearby tailgates or the first notes of "Jump Around." I’m mentally running through the gauntlet that lies ahead, the entire map of battles for our team. I’m thinking about your complete guide to the UW Madison football schedule for the 2023 season. It’s more than just a list of dates and opponents; it’s a story waiting to be written, a journey of twelve potential triumphs and heartbreaks.
I remember sitting in this very spot last year, nursing a hot chocolate and feeling the sting of a tough loss to Ohio State. It was a game where we seemed to stray from our identity, trying to match their flash instead of leaning into our own brutal, beautiful simplicity. It reminds me of a phrase I once read about a different team entirely, the Cool Smashers in volleyball. The analysis argued that for the Cool Smashers to pass a rare acid test, it’ll all be about sticking to their roots in a way only they know best. That line has stuck with me, and honestly, I think it’s the perfect lens through which to view our Badgers this year. Our roots aren't finesse or a fancy air-raid offense; they’re in the ground-and-pound running game, in a defense that feels like a brick wall, and in a special teams unit that can flip a game on its head. That’s our DNA. And looking at this 2023 schedule, I see nothing but acid tests, one after another, starting with that brutal non-conference opener against Washington State on September 9th.
Let me walk you through it. The first few weeks feel like a carefully calibrated warm-up, a chance to build momentum. After Washington State, we have a couple of home games that should, in a perfect world, be confidence builders. But let’s be real, in college football, there’s no such thing as a sure thing. I’ve seen us struggle against teams we were supposed to blow out, and I’ve seen us pull off miracles against giants. That’s the beauty of it, the chaos. My eyes, and probably yours too, immediately jump to the end of October. October 28th. Ohio State comes to Madison. The atmosphere that day will be unlike any other. I can already feel the stadium shaking. Then, just two weeks later on November 11th, we have to travel to Indiana, which is always a tricky place to play, before the ultimate showdown: hosting Nebraska on November 18th. That’s a stretch that will define everything.
This is where that idea of sticking to our roots becomes absolutely critical. Against a team like Ohio State, with their five-star recruits and Heisman-contender quarterback, the temptation might be to get cute, to try and out-scheme them. I think that’s a mistake. I genuinely believe our path to an upset, to passing that massive acid test, is to be more "us" than we’ve ever been. We need to control the clock, run the ball 45, maybe 50 times, and make it an ugly, physical, four-quarter fight. That’s the Wisconsin way. It’s what we do best. When we’ve abandoned that in the past, we’ve gotten burned. I have a personal preference here, a bias born from two decades of watching this team: I’d rather lose playing our brand of football than lose trying to be something we’re not.
The final game against Minnesota on November 25th is the perfect culmination. Paul Bunyan’s Axe is more than a trophy; it’s a piece of our soul. That game is pure emotion, a throwback to the roots of the entire rivalry. It’s less about complex schemes and more about who wants it more. It’s the kind of game where a single special teams play—a blocked punt, a long return—can become the stuff of legend. I was at the game in 2019 when we won 38-17, and the sight of our guys sprinting to reclaim that axe is seared into my memory. It’s a reminder that for all the talk of strategy and schedules, this is ultimately about heart. So as I finally find my seat and watch the team take the field for this first game, I’m not just watching a football team. I’m watching an identity, a tradition, a group of young men tasked with navigating one of the most challenging slates in recent memory. The 2023 schedule is a beast, no doubt. But if they can remember who they are and play Wisconsin football, the kind only they know how to play, it could be a season we talk about for a very long time.
