Western Kentucky and Wisconsin square off in Week 1of the 2018 college football season. Here’s what you need to know on how to watch.
A brand new season is underway for both of these teams as the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and Wisconsin Badgers face off on Friday. Both teams were bowl eligible in 2017 and each will looking for that strong 1-0 start to open the 2018 campaign. This will mark the first time these teams have played each other since 2001 when Wisconsin picked up a 24-6 victory.
The Badgers come into this game as the No. 4 ranked team in the country and have their eyes set on the College Football Playoff. Last year Wisconsin went undefeated in the regular season and earned a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game against Ohio State. Unfortunately, their perfect season ended there. In a tightly contested conference championship, the Buckeyes outlasted the Badgers 27-21. Wisconsin would go on to play in the Orange Bowl against the hometown Miami Hurricanes and won 34-24 to finish the season 13-1. The team finished ranked No. 7 in the final AP poll.
Mike Sanford Jr. had a roller coaster first season as head coach of Western Kentucky. After starting the 2017 season 5-2, the Hilltoppers stumbled down the stretch. The team lost five of their last six games to finish 6-6, 4-4 in Conference USA play. In the Cure Bowl, Western Kentucky lost to Georgia State 27-17 capping off a tough first season for coach Sanford.
The biggest attraction for this game is running back and Heisman Trophy candidate Jonathan Taylor. Taylor racked up 1,977 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground last season. He finished third in the country in rushing yards, certainly vaulting him into the Heisman discussion for 2018.
Western Kentucky will be looking for senior quarterback Drew Eckels to fill the shoes of Mike White, who is now playing for the Dallas Cowboys. White finished fourth in the nation in passing yards last year with 4,177 and 26 touchdowns. He also led all FBS quarterbacks in pass completions with 368.
This game can be seen live on ESPN Friday night. That means fans will also be able to stream the game on the new ESPN streaming service ESPN Plus by logging in with a cable or satellite subscription. Fans can also stream this game on FuboTV.
Details for Friday’s game are below:
Date: Friday, Aug. 31
Start Time: 9 p.m. ET
Location: Madison, WI
Stadium: Camp Randall Stadium
TV Info: ESPN
Live Stream: ESPN+, FuboTV
While an easy win for Wisconsin could certainly be in the cards for this one, this will be one of the marquee prime-time match-ups on Friday night. For fans anxious to see what Jonathan Taylor and Wisconsin will bring this season, this game is worth tuning in to.