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Virginia Tech series moved to make room for Wisconsin, LSU in 2016

Wisconsin and Virginia Tech push their home-and-home series back to 2019 and 2020 to allow the Badgers to face LSU in 2016.

Geoff Burke

Wisconsin's long-awaited neutral-site series with LSU will finally come to fruition after the Badgers pushed back their previously existing home-and-home slate with Virginia Tech to 2019 and 2020. The move allows Wisconsin to have an additional date in 2016, presumably to schedule another home game after previously having room for just five. Wisconsin and Virginia Tech were previously scheduled to meet in 2016 and 2017, with the first game coming in Blacksburg, Va. The two schools initially had their home-and-home set for 2008 and 2009 before an initial set of delays.

Wisconsin and LSU will now meet at Reliant Stadium in Houston Aug. 30, 2014, and in Lambeau Field, home of the NFL's Green Bay Packers, Sept. 3, 2016. The dates for the Virginia Tech series are yet to be announced. Wisconsin's contract with LSU also has yet to be signed, though Tigers officials have said that is expected to happen next week.

Before Virginia Tech agreed to push back the home-and-home, Wisconsin had just four Big Ten home games and one more likely coming in the non-conference slate. That presents a problem for ticket sales alone, before even taking into account the absurd level of difficulty Wisconsin's schedule would've had. WIth the current agreements, Wisconsin's 2016 schedule is set as follows:

DATE OPPONENT
Sept. 3 LSU (in Green Bay)
Sept. 10 TBA
Sept. 17 TBA
Sept. 24 TBA
Oct. 1 at Michigan
Oct. 8 at Michigan State
Oct. 15 Ohio State
Oct. 22 at Iowa
Oct. 29 Nebraska
Nov. 5 at Northwestern
Nov. 12 Illinois
Nov. 19 at Purdue
Nov. 26 Minnesota
Dec. 3 Big Ten Championship Game

As for 2019, Wisconsin has the back-end of a home-and-home with Washington Aug. 31 in Madison. Wisconsin also previously had a home-and-home with Maryland scheduled for 2020 and 2021, though that was reached before the Terps joined the Big Ten.