Marcus Freeman isn’t treating Wisconsin like a warm-up act, and for good reason.
Notre Dame opens the season against a Badgers team that’s being cast as a heavy underdog, but Freeman knows the kind of damage an early stumble can do. The last couple of years have already shown him how fast a season can tilt the wrong way, and the Irish have been blamed for missing the College Football Playoffs because of those early-season letdowns - Freeman included.
Last week, Freeman put it plainly: "We didn't earn that opportunity [to play in the playoff]. That doesn't need to be said, but it's the reminder of what the work that must be done is to give your program a chance to play past Game 12." He added that the mindset has to stay locked on one game at a time, starting with Wisconsin.
That’s why the Sept. 6 matchup is already drawing attention as a potential trap. ESPN described Wisconsin as the beginning of the danger zone for Notre Dame, noting, "Marcus Freeman wants his players focused on winning now -- so they can avoid the trap of missing the College Football Playoff again." Freeman’s own message matched that warning, with the Irish zeroed in on the Badgers first and nothing beyond that.
PFF sees it the same way, listing Wisconsin as the first trap game on Notre Dame’s schedule and one of the "5 early-season trap games for championship contenders." The outlet says the Badgers should look different this season, especially on offense, even while stopping short of calling them a true favorite or even close to the Irish. Still, PFF argues there’s enough here for an upset to be at least possible.
"A Sunday evening matchup at Lambeau Field is unlike anything either team experiences during a normal game week." PFF writer Daire Carragher writes. "Neutral-site games often develop their own strange rhythm, and this one has enough unusual elements to make an upset at least conceivable."
That’s the kind of setup that gives Wisconsin a real edge in one specific way: they can play loose. The Badgers are underdogs, nobody is expecting them to control the game, and that leaves the pressure squarely on Notre Dame. Add in the fact that the Irish have already stumbled early in the last two seasons, and the tension only grows.
There’s even a little fuel for the Badgers in how the matchup is being framed. Between Freeman’s comments and the broader national view, Wisconsin can walk in with belief and no burden. It’s the classic "So you're saying there's a chance." kind of spot.
If Notre Dame handles business, it’s exactly what most people expect. If not, Luke Fickell and the Badgers would leave Lambeau with one of those results nobody saw coming - the kind that turns a season’s first week into a headline.
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