Wisconsin Football: 3 things to watch vs. Utah State

Wisconsin football opens its 2017 season against Utah State on Friday night and here are three things to watch.

Friday night under the lights in Madison is a new sight for those who follow the Wisconsin Badgers and the Big Ten for that matter. For the first time ever, the conference will consistently air various games throughout the year on Friday nights, and the Badgers are up first.

The Utah State Aggies will visit Madison for the second time since 2012. The Badgers narrowly escaped an Aggies upset back then, as the Gary Andersen-led Utah State team missed a field goal in the final seconds that would have taken down Wisconsin. Of course, Andersen then left Utah State for Wisconsin the very next year before turning around and bolting for Oregon State.

Wisconsin will look to return back to the College Football Playoff (CFP) discussion they were in a year ago. The Badgers were ranked as high as No. 6 in the CFP polls and had a fighting chance to make it into the top four. After falling in the Big Ten championship to Penn State- a game they led 28-3, the Badgers have high expectations for 2017 and it all starts with Utah State.

The Aggies are coming off a three-win season and have seen a steady decline since that 2012 season where they notched 11 wins and a bowl game victory.

Game details:

Date: Friday, Sept. 1
Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
Location: Madison, Wisc.
Venue: Camp Randall Stadium
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN

As you get prepared to watch the Aggies take on the Badgers, here are three things to look out for in Friday night’s matchup.