Notre Dame and Wisconsin are wasting no time in going straight to the deep end.
Sunday night at Lambeau Field gives college football one of its most intriguing openers, with Notre Dame stepping into 2026 carrying real championship expectations and Wisconsin trying to show its rebuild is finally moving in the right direction. The contrast is sharp.
The Irish have the look of a team built for the College Football Playoff. The Badgers are still searching for proof that Luke Fickell’s plan is about to pay off.
For Notre Dame, anything short of a strong showing will bring the noise immediately. The Irish are wearing a special Lou Holtz helmet sticker this season, and the standard around them is obvious: they’re supposed to look like a national title contender right away. That’s the price of being in the conversation, especially for an Independent team that doesn’t get a conference title game as a safety net in December.
Wisconsin’s situation is different, and probably more fragile.
Fickell still hasn’t delivered the kind of breakthrough season many expected when he got to Madison, and another slow start would only crank up the pressure. A competitive performance against Notre Dame would help calm things down. An upset would flip the entire conversation.
That’s what gives this matchup its edge. Notre Dame is trying to begin a championship push.
Wisconsin is trying to rebuild belief. One side wants confirmation, the other needs a spark.
A huge part of Notre Dame’s case starts on defense. This could be one of the best units in the country, and the Irish have the kind of balance that can suffocate an opponent.
Leonard Moore is the headliner in a veteran secondary, bringing the range, instincts and physicality to take away big plays. Up front and across the front seven, Notre Dame has players with legitimate NFL Draft upside, plus enough depth and athleticism to handle a playoff-level schedule.
If the Irish make a run all the way back to the national championship game, this defense is likely to be the reason.
Wisconsin’s path runs through its quarterback.
Colton Joseph is making his first big-stage introduction after starring at Old Dominion, where his dual-threat game made him one of the more interesting portal additions. His legs could matter a lot here.
Against an aggressive Notre Dame front, Joseph’s mobility gives Wisconsin a way to create offense when protection breaks down. He’ll need to be careful with the football, but designed runs and improvisation could help the Badgers stay in the fight.
Notre Dame’s recent work against Big Ten teams under Marcus Freeman also gives this matchup a little more texture. The Irish are 7-3 against Big Ten competition in Freeman’s tenure, and all three losses have come against Ohio State.
As for Wisconsin, Notre Dame beat the Badgers in 2021, and before that the teams hadn’t met since 1964. Notre Dame leads the all-time series 9-6-2, though most of those games were played before the end of World War II.
The game is set for Sunday, Sept. 6 at 7:30 p.m. ET from Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. NBC will televise it, with streaming available on Fubo.
As for the pick, Notre Dame looks like the better team and should set the tone early. CJ Carr should settle in quickly behind an elite offensive line, and the Irish can attack Wisconsin vertically while putting up multiple first-half touchdowns.
But the Badgers should have enough resistance to avoid a total blowout. Joseph’s running ability can give Wisconsin some life, and the Irish defense may not fully clamp down until the second half, when passing situations get more obvious and the pressure starts to snowball.
Notre Dame wins comfortably. Wisconsin still sneaks inside the number. Pick: Wisconsin +21.5
In Other News...
Wisconsin Has 3 Freshmen Who Could Matter Right Away Against Notre Dame
For most of the offseason chatter around Wisconsins 2026 recruiting class, the attention naturally landed on quarterback Ryan Hopkins. But as fall camp has unfolded, a few other true freshmen have started to push their way into the conversation, and that matters with Notre Dame on the horizon. Wide receiver Brock, tight end Sievers and defensive player Dunmore have each shown enough promise to put themselves in position for early snaps, even if their first impact is more likely to come on special teams or in limited rotational work.
That kind of contribution may not make headlines in September, but it can still shape a season, especially against a matchup that will demand clean execution and depth from the Badgers. Coaches have liked what theyve seen from the trios work ethic and intelligence, and those traits often translate fastest when young players are asked to do the little things well. Wisconsin is still early in the process of finding out exactly how much it can trust them, but the fact they are already in the mix says plenty about the opportunity in front of them. [Read more 🡒]
Marcus Freeman Just Sent Wisconsin Fans A Needed Reminder At Lambeau
An intriguing subplot is already building around the upcoming game at Lambeau Field, where Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman and Wisconsin's Luke Fickell will meet as head coaches for the first time. Their connection runs deeper than a one-off matchup, with Freeman having played for Fickell and later coached under him, which gives this game a familiar edge even before the teams take the field. Freeman made sure to reinforce that point during his Week 1 press conference, offering clear respect for Wisconsin and the roster Fickell has put together.
From a Badgers perspective, the praise landed as a useful reminder that this is not a program being overlooked by those who know the sport best. Freeman singled out quarterback Colton Joseph along with linebackers Mason Posa and Sebastian Cheeks, which says plenty about where the attention is heading as the game approaches. With both coaches now leading their own programs, the matchup carries the feel of a reunion and a measuring-stick moment at the same time, and Wisconsin fans have reason to believe their team is being taken seriously. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Is Quietly Building Something Important Before The 2026 Season
Wisconsins offseason staffing move may not have generated much noise outside the program, but it is the kind of hire that can matter a lot when a football staff is trying to get organized for the long haul. The Badgers brought in Marcus Berry as Senior Director of Personnel Strategy, adding a veteran front-office voice with more than 25 years of experience in college and NFL personnel work. Berry arrives from Temple, where he served as Chief of Staff and Director of Player Personnel, and his background suggests Wisconsin is putting real emphasis on the machinery behind roster building.
It is also notable timing for a program entering a new administrative era, since Berry is one of the first football hires under Athletic Director Shawn Eichorst. For Wisconsin, the move points to a broader effort to sharpen how the Badgers evaluate and manage personnel before the 2026 season arrives, with the kind of behind-the-scenes infrastructure that can shape recruiting, retention and roster planning. The hire does not answer every question about where the program is headed, but it does show Wisconsin is taking a deliberate step toward building something more organized beneath the surface. [Read more 🡒]