The Wisconsin Badgers and the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors have canceled the final two games of their three-game football series, FBSchedules.com has learned.
Back in 2013, Wisconsin and Hawaii scheduled a three-game football series that was slated to be played in the 2015, 2021, and 2022 seasons. The first game of the series was played at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis., as scheduled, with the Badgers defeating the Rainbow Warriors 28-0.
The second game of the series was scheduled to be played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii, on September 4, 2021, but it was later postponed to August 31, 2024. That change made the 2022 contest the middle game of the series and it was slated for September 17 in Madison.
According to a copy of a termination agreement obtained from the University of Wisconsin-Madison via a state public records request, the final two games of the series will not be played and have been mutually canceled. Per the contract, “…both Wisconsin and Hawaii are free to arrange games with other institutions in 2022 and 2024 with no obligation to the other party.”
The possibility of a change or cancellation of the Wisconsin-Hawaii series was first noticed late last month by FBSchedules.com when the Badgers added a home game against the New Mexico State Aggies for Sept. 17, 2022. That was the same date the Badgers were scheduled to travel to Honolulu.
As a result of another public records request, we now know who will fill the open spot as the season-opener on Wisconsin’s 2024 football schedule. The Western Michigan Broncos, previously scheduled to visit Madison in 2026, will now play at Wisconsin on August 31, 2024.
A copy of the amendment to the Western Michigan-Wisconsin contest was obtained from Western Michigan University via a state Freedom of Information Act Request.
The Badgers’ 2024 schedule features a home contest against the Alabama Crimson Tide on Sept. 14, which is the first game of a home-and-home series that concludes in Tuscaloosa on Sept. 13, 2025.
It’s likely that the addition of Alabama to the 2024 schedule, which was announced in July, played a part in Wisconsin’s decision to cancel the Hawaii series. The Badgers were scheduled to open the season in Honolulu and then have Week 2 off before facing the Crimson Tide.
But Wisconsin made another change, moving their home contest against South Dakota that was scheduled for Week 4 (Sept. 21) to the week prior to the Alabama contest (Sept. 7). Now the Badgers will open the season with warm-up contests against Western Michigan and South Dakota before the Crimson Tide roll into Madison.
Wisconsin will now have their first bye week on Sept. 21, the week after playing Alabama, before the Badgers open Big Ten play with consecutive road contests at Michigan (Sept. 28) and Purdue (Oct. 5). UW’s second bye week follows on Oct. 12 before seven consecutive conference games to close out the season.
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