Kalen DeBoer knows there’s no place like home, but he’s ready for his Alabama squad to embrace one of college football’s top environments: Camp Randall at Wisconsin.

DeBoer’s first game coaching Alabama against a Power 4 opponent will come on the road as the Crimson Tide head to Madison for a clash with Luke Fickell’s Badgers.

So far, DeBoer’s tenure is off to a 2-0 start. Alabama has home wins Western Kentucky (63-0) and USF (42-16). DeBoer was asked on Monday about getting the Tide ready to go on the road.

“There’s nothing like playing at home here at Bryant-Denny, but I think there is something to knowing you’re going into a great environment,” DeBoer told reporters. “These guys really probably haven’t been there— maybe a couple guys from the Midwest that have seen that or been on a visit maybe at one point.

“It’s going to be a great atmosphere up there. And I think it’s one that when you’re preparing to go play those games, and we’ll of course have that many times here with the SEC schedule too, that hostile environment, taking it on and just kind of knowing that it’s you versus everyone there. I think our guys are looking forward to the challenge and looking forward to improving on this last week and knowing that we’re going to have to in order to get a win against Wisconsin on Saturday.”

Alabama’s trip to Wisconsin is part of a home-and-home series. The Badgers are set to visit Tuscaloosa on Sept. 13, 2025.

At Washington, DeBoer only lost 3 games in two seasons. All 3 contests were played away from home. DeBoer’s Huskies only 2 losses of the 2022 season came in back-to-back weeks at UCLA and Arizona State. Washington’s only loss of the 2023 campaign was the College Football Playoff National Championship game played at NRG Stadium in Houston.

Saturday’s SEC-B1G clash is getting FOX’s Big Noon treatment, and will kickoff at noon ET.

Kara Welsh, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater student and champion gymnast, was on the floor in the fetal position when she sustained some of the eight gunshot wounds that killed her on Aug. 30, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 

Authorities said they found the 21-year-old in a pool of blood inside the apartment of her boyfriend, 23-year-old Chad Richards, just before midnight.

She sustained eight gunshot wounds to the neck, torso and other areas, a medical examiner determined. 

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Richards, a former UW-Whitewater wrestler, was charged with first-degree intentional homicide in Welsh’s killing.

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He told investigators he was acting in self-defense, after he and Welsh argued and struggled over his gun that Welsh grabbed from a nightstand, Fox News Digital reported. Richards said he wrestled the gun away and shot Welsh because he “feared for his life,” and he placed the 911 call. 

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Whitewater Police Department identified the suspect who killed Kara Welsh as Chad T. Richards, 23, of Loves Park, Illinois. (Whitewater Police Department)

Welsh attended UW-Whitewater, where she was a member of the gymnastics team and was majoring in management in the school’s College of Business and Economics.

She was preparing to enter her senior year at the university. In 2023, she won an individual vault national title at the NCAA Division III championships. 

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“Kara was a daughter, sister, dear friend and teammate,” her family wrote in a fundraising page, adding, “Kara had a unique ability to bring joy to any person she crossed paths with, always putting a smile on people’s faces with her sense of humor, unwavering support and sweet disposition.”

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A memorial for Kara Welsh is seen in her hometown of Plainfield, Illinois. (WFLD)

Richards was on the UW-Whitewater wrestling team for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, during his freshman and sophomore years, according to the school’s athletics site. 

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He is facing additional charges of endangering safety by use of a dangerous weapon and disorderly conduct and is being held at the Walworth County Jail on $1 million bond. 

Oddsmakers don’t seem to think Wisconsin has much of a chance against Alabama.

The Crimson Tide are traveling to Madison for a Saturday showdown with the Badgers in what will be one of Wisconsin’s biggest non-conference games in program history.

Hype has already hit a deafening level. It’s all anyone in Wisconsin is talking about when it comes to college sports, and despite some fans behaving like absolute cowards, I feel like there’s always a chance whenever a team takes the field.

Oddsmakers feel a bit differently.

*I WILL BE AT THE WISCONSIN/ALABAMA GAME IN MADISON. REACH OUT AT David.Hookstead@OutKick.com IF YOU’RE ALSO ATTENDING.*

Alabama is a big favorite against Wisconsin.

As of publication, Alabama is a 15.5-point favorite at most sportsbooks on the road in Madison against the Badgers, and that’s simply an outrageous line.

What’s craziest part is the line was as low as -7.5 in favor of Alabama just a couple weeks ago. Now, after two games in the books, oddsmakers believe the Crimson Tide are going to show up in Madison and roll the Badgers.

Is it disrespectful? It certainly feels that way, but it’s also great bulletin board material. Nobody is giving little old Wisconsin a chance against Kalen DeBoer’s team.

Hell, many Wisconsin fans aren’t giving the Badgers a shot at all, which is beyond infuriating.

The reality of Wisconsin football is that the team hasn’t looked great through the first two games of the season, but the Badgers almost never get blown out at home.

Has it happened in the past? Yes, but it’s incredibly rare. Camp Randall is a house of horrors for opposing teams. It’s one of the toughest places to play in all of America.

The home field advantage is significant, and when the stadium is booming, it’s unbelievably loud. That’s the atmosphere the Crimson Tide are walking into, and I’m supposed to believe they’re going to win by 16 or more? I’m just not buying it.

Alabama being favored makes sense. They’re a much more talented team top to bottom, but they also just struggled with USF.

Throw in the fact there’s good reason to believe Wisconsin hasn’t shown much on offense in hopes of hiding it for Alabama and USC, and +15.5 seems like the play to me. Granted, I’m openly a Wisconsin man. I don’t hide it, but I also can’t get my brain to even imagine a blowout loss at home inside Camp Randall early in the season.

No matter what, I’m fired up and can’t wait to get to Madison for the game. The city is going to be on fire and rocking. Who are you taking? Let me know at David.Hookstead@OutKick.com.