1997 Wisconsin Badgers football team

1997 Wisconsin Badgers football
Outback Bowl, L 6–33 vs. Georgia
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record8–5 (5–3 Big Ten)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorBrad Childress (6th season)
Offensive schemeSmashmouth
Defensive coordinatorKevin Cosgrove (3rd season)
Base defense4–3
MVPTom Burke
CaptainKevin Huntley
David Lysek
Carl McCullough
Home stadiumCamp Randall Stadium
Seasons
← 1996
1998 →
1997 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 1 Michigan $   8 0     12 0  
No. 12 Ohio State   6 2     10 3  
No. 16 Penn State   6 2     9 3  
No. 15 Purdue   6 2     9 3  
Wisconsin   5 3     8 5  
Iowa   4 4     7 5  
Michigan State   4 4     7 5  
Northwestern   3 5     5 7  
Minnesota   1 7     3 9  
Indiana   1 7     2 9  
Illinois   0 8     0 11  
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1997 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin during the 1997 Big Ten Conference football season. They were led by eight year head coach Barry Alvarez and participated as members of the Big Ten Conference. The Badgers played their home games at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin.

After suffering a humiliating loss at the hands of Donovan McNabb and the Syracuse Orangemen in their season opener, the Wisconsin Badgers sprang back to win eight of their next nine games. After defeating Boise State, San Jose State, and San Diego State, the Badgers won consecutive games with field goals as time expired against Indiana and Northwestern. In the course of this streak, the Badgers snapped a long losing streak at the hands of the Iowa Hawkeyes with a 13–10 win, the first Wisconsin win over a Hayden Fry-coached team ever. After defeating Iowa, Barry Alvarez's team fell apart down the stretch, losing to eventual national champion Michigan, Penn State, and Georgia in the Outback Bowl.

While the Badgers suffered a 3-game losing streak to close out the year, the 1997 campaign set the stage for the incredibly successful 1998 season.