Wisconsin may have lost the game, but its fans won the eyeballs battle in Week 1.
The Badgers’ matchup with Notre Dame at Lambeau Field drew 8.1 million viewers on NBC, making it the most-watched college football game of the week by a wide margin. It cleared the next closest game, LSU-Clemson on ABC, by more than two million viewers. The Apple Cup, with Washington facing Washington State on NBC, finished just behind LSU-Clemson.
Per Nielsen, the full Week 1 TV ratings looked like this:
ND-Wis. (NBC): 8.1M
LSU-Clemson (ABC): 5.8M
Wash-Wash St (NBC): 5.1M
Oregon-Boise St (CBS): 4.8M
Lou-Ole Miss (ABC): 4.7M
Baylor-Auburn (ABC): 4.2M
Mich-WMU (NBC): 4.1M
FSU-SMU (ESPN): 4.1M
Sunday doubleheader paid off big for NBC.
That number says plenty about Wisconsin’s draw, especially after a four-win season. The Badgers still pulled in viewers, still filled seats, and still had enough pull to make a neutral-site opener feel like a national event. The product on the field may be under a new Luke Fickell era, but the audience clearly didn’t disappear.
And Notre Dame doesn’t get to take all the credit here, either. NBC said Notre Dame-Wisconsin was the third-highest-watched Irish game on the network in 20 years. The only Notre Dame games on NBC that topped it were against Ohio State in 2023 and Clemson in 2020.
Those were different kinds of matchups entirely. Ohio State-Notre Dame in 2023 was No. 6 against No.
- Clemson-Notre Dame in 2020 matched No. 2 against No.
- So if anyone wants to attach an asterisk to the ratings, it belongs there - not on Wisconsin’s side of the ledger.
At Lambeau, the crowd reportedly split about evenly between Notre Dame and Wisconsin fans, with maybe a slight edge to the Badgers since the game was closer to home. Even with ticket prices sitting in the hundreds of dollars right up to kickoff, Wisconsin fans still showed up in force.
Some probably sold their seats. Some Notre Dame fans likely did too.
That’s part of the deal.
What matters is the bigger picture: Wisconsin fans were there in the stadium and on the screen. They helped push the game to the top of the week’s ratings, and they made one thing obvious. The Badger fan base is still very much alive.
In Other News...
Wisconsin Fans Face A New Camp Randall Hassle As Demand Slips
Getting to Camp Randall already comes with its own pregame routine, and this fall there is another wrinkle for Wisconsin fans. Badger Way, the pedestrian path near the stadium, is closed because of construction, so anyone heading to the gates will need to find alternate routes. On game days, the traffic picture will get tighter too, with street closures on Breese Terrace and Monroe Street set to begin six hours before kickoff.
The inconvenience arrives at a time when interest around the program is showing some softness as well. Wisconsin footballs 2026 season ticket sales are down 13.1% from the previous year, a reminder that the game-day experience is being shaped by more than what happens between the lines. For a fan base that prides itself on showing up, the combination of detours and declining demand adds a little extra friction to the season ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Suddenly Has Several Badgers Worth Watching For NFL Scouts
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Cubberly also helped his case with a physical showing up front, and West added another layer of attention with a booming 70-yard punt. For a program looking to regain momentum, those kinds of individual flashes matter because they give Wisconsin something to sell beyond the final score. NFL teams will keep watching, and the question now is whether this was just an encouraging opening performance or the start of a more meaningful climb up draft boards. [Read more 🡒]
Former Badger Xavier Lucas Just Hit Another Rough Turn At Miami
Xavier Lucas second season at Miami has already been interrupted before it could really get going. The former Badgers cornerback was hurt in the Hurricanes season opener, and head coach Mario Cristobal said Lucas is expected to miss about a month, a setback that immediately thins Miamis depth at a spot where continuity matters.
For Lucas, it is another frustrating turn after a first year with the Hurricanes that was solid but not spectacular. His absence leaves Miami waiting for one of its more experienced defensive backs to get healthy again, while also putting added pressure on the rest of the rotation to hold up until he returns. [Read more 🡒]