Alabama and Wisconsin will meet to open up the 2015 college football season at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, both schools announced Wednesday. The two-time defending BCS champion Crimson Tide and three-time defending Big Ten champion Badgers will meet on Sept. 5 for the second time in history, with the first coming in 1928.
"As a league we decided that we needed to upgrade our non-conference schedule," Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez said in an official release from the school. "We understand that strength of schedule will be a factor in determining which teams earn the right to participate in the new four-team playoff system and we want to be in that mix."
"There's no better way to do that than by playing the defending national champions. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to play a storied program like Alabama in a terrific venue like Cowboys Stadium. It will be a great experience for our program, our players and our fans."
Wisconsin has received criticism in recent years for not scheduling a tough non-conference opponent. The Badgers have not faced an SEC team since playing five consecutive bowl games against the conference from 2004-07, going 2-3 in the five matchups.
The last time Wisconsin played a regular season game against an SEC opponent was 1972 when the Badgers lost to LSU. Alabama faced Big Ten representative Michigan last year in the 2012 season opener at Cowboys Stadium. The Tide rolled over michigan 41-14.
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