Wisconsin and Notre Dame arrive at Lambeau Field on Sunday night with very different baggage from 2025, and that difference has helped define the way each program is talking about 2026.
Notre Dame’s storyline starts with a close call. The Fighting Irish lost narrowly to two eventual College Football Playoff teams, then won out to finish 10-2 and still came up just short of the CFP.
When they later declined a bowl invitation, still upset about being left out, they turned themselves into a national talking point. From that came a phrase that has stuck: “leave no doubt.”
Head coach Marcus Freeman first said it in January, and it has since become the Irish’s rallying cry for this season. Freeman made the message plain in a recent team meeting.
"As I reminded the group on our team meeting on Sunday, it's our responsibility to make sure we leave no doubt, and moving forward, we can't blame it on somebody else," Freeman said. "It's our job as we move forward to leave no doubt."
That framing has fueled the expectation that Notre Dame is headed for a revenge-driven 2026 run, with the playoff as the only acceptable ending.
Wisconsin’s version of urgency looks different, and in some ways more desperate. The Badgers are coming off their worst season since 1990, a 4-8 finish that left the program with nowhere to hide. There was no playoff committee to blame in Madison, only the results on the field.
Out of that disappointment came another slogan: “No Plan B.” Both Luke Fickell and Colton Joseph have used it this offseason, and Fickell explained what it means for the team.
“The idea of no plan B is we gotta put our all out there. The whole philosophy and motto of let it fly is important," Fickell said.
"Guys gotta understand that, and I think they have…Let’s not have any excuses. Let’s not have anything that we’re holding onto the past.”
Fickell has been unusually direct about how badly Wisconsin needs this year to go right. He’s made clear that 2026 carries major weight for the program and for his own future, with the outcome likely shaping what comes next for him.
That’s where the contrast gets interesting. Notre Dame is chasing a playoff berth that anything less would make feel like a letdown.
Wisconsin is trying to get back to being a respectable winner after a miserable season. One team is trying to turn resentment into a title-worthy push.
The other is trying to stop the bleeding.
So which narrative lands harder? Notre Dame’s “leave no doubt” has a big, obvious edge in drama, even if it can feel a little overworked. Still, the Irish do have a real reason to come in angry after the playoff snub, and that chip on the shoulder is impossible to miss.
Wisconsin, though, has its own kind of pressure. Fickell has acknowledged the stakes, and the Badgers have 12 games, maybe fewer, to show they’re headed somewhere better. A team with that kind of urgency can be dangerous.
Sunday night under the lights at Lambeau Field will tell the story. Notre Dame may own the louder slogan, but Wisconsin is hungry too.
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Abu Sama arrived in Madison with a clear opportunity after three seasons at Iowa State and a coaching change pushed him toward Wisconsin, and the senior running back has quickly become one of the more important names in the Badgers buildup to the season. Luke Fickell has already praised Sama as the teams lead option at the position, which says plenty about the role Wisconsin expects him to fill as the opener against Notre Dame gets closer.
Sama has sounded comfortable with the transition, crediting the coaching staff and making it clear he feels ready for the challenge ahead. For a Wisconsin team looking to settle its backfield before a marquee first game, the question is no longer whether Sama belongs in the conversation. It is how central he will be when the Badgers line up against the Irish. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Has 3 Freshmen Who Could Matter Right Away Against Notre Dame
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Brock brings speed and a chance to add depth at receiver, Sievers gives the Badgers another young option at tight end, and Dunmore has shown enough promise on the defensive side to merit a look in game action. None of them is being asked to carry a major load right away, but Wisconsin clearly sees enough in their work ethic and intelligence to trust them in some capacity early, including in a season opener that should offer a quick read on how ready the freshmen really are. [Read more 🡒]
Marcus Freeman Just Sent Wisconsin Fans A Needed Reminder At Lambeau
Marcus Freeman and Luke Fickell are about to cross paths at Lambeau Field in a matchup that carries a little extra weight beyond the schedule. It will be the first time the two face off as head coaches, even though their careers have already been intertwined for years, with Freeman once playing for Fickell and later coaching under him. For Wisconsin fans, that connection alone makes the game feel familiar and unusual at the same time.
Freeman used his Week 1 press conference to offer a reminder that Wisconsin still has the kind of roster and identity that can make life difficult. He pointed to quarterback Colton Joseph and linebackers Mason Posa and Sebastian Cheeks as part of the challenge ahead, a nod that should sound pretty good in Madison even if it also comes with the usual pregame caution. With both programs now led by coaches who know each other well, Lambeau is shaping up as more than just another neutral-site meeting. [Read more 🡒]