ESPN's College Gameday announced Monday it will broadcast from Bascom Hill when it visits UW-Madison for the Badgers' Big Ten opener against Nebraska Saturday.
The program will broadcast live on ESPN and ESPN U from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
UW Athletic Department Spokesperson Brian Lucas said the coverage is a tremendous opportunity for the university to showcase itself.
He said in addition to the three-hour program Saturday, ESPN will highlight Madison and the football team the entire week leading up to the game.
""That type of exposure is just priceless in terms of recruiting not only for football, but also for all other sports,"" Lucas said.
Lucas said he is proud Gameday chose UW for the second year in a row because it selects universities based on a combination of fan support and what it anticipates the weekend's best game will be.
Last year, Gameday visited the university when the Badgers beat then undefeated Ohio State.
UW head football coach Bret Bielema said he hopes an atmosphere, similar to last years against Ohio State, will lead to an ""electric"" game Saturday.
""If [the atmosphere] can get anywhere close to the Ohio State game last year—just the excitement, the energy—I know our kids really fed off of it,"" Bielema said at a press conference.
According to Lucas, the difficult matchups the Badgers have had reflect the strength of the football program.
""For our team to be involved in that many [important] games, we can just be proud,"" Lucas said.
This will be Nebraska's first-ever Big Ten conference game, and is the first time since 1962 that two top-10 teams will face off at Camp Randall Stadium.
