The Wisconsin athletic department dropped some big news Monday afternoon, as the Badgers will play Alabama in a home-and-home series starting in 2024.

The Crimson Tide will head to Madison to play UW inside Camp Randall Stadium on Sept. 14, 2024. Then on Sept. 13, 2025, the Badgers will travel to Tuscaloosa to face the Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Wisconsin is 1-1 all-time against Alabama. In the most recent contest, the Badgers lost a 35-17 contest inside AT&T Stadium (Texas) in head coach Paul Chryst's first game as head coach of the program. The only other meeting between the two schools came in 1928 when Wisconsin won, 15-0.

"It did surprise me when I was called about doing a home-and-home," Alvarez said in an article from UWBadgers.com Monday highlighting the announced series. "We've said all along it's hard to get these games. It's hard to find someone who's willing to do it, and, then, once you do, it's hard to make it fit in both schools' schedules. A lot of things have to fall into place.

"A year or so ago, Greg Byrne (the Alabama athletic director) texted me about doing something like this. I said I would be interested. With the College Football Playoff, there has been a lot of talk about strengthening non-conference schedules with other Power 5 teams."

In a press release, UW also notes this will be just "the fourth time an SEC team has played at Camp Randall Stadium and the first since Sept. 25, 1971."

Key Power 5non-conference opponents in the future for Wisconsin include not just the Alabama series, but the following:

*Notre Dame (2020 at Lambeau Field, 2021 at Soldier Field)

*Washington State (2022 and 2023 in a home-and-home series)

*Pittsburgh (2026 and 2027 in a home-and-home series)

*UCLA (2029 and 2030 in a home-and-home series)

*Virginia Tech (2031 and 2032 in a home-and-home series)