Notre Dame Opens As Heavy Favorite Over Wisconsin in 2026 Season Opener

The 2025 college football season only ended last week, with Indiana defeating Miami in the National Championship. But it's never too early to look ahead to the 2026 season.

A few points spreads have already been released by the FanDuel Sportsbook, including Notre Dame's season opener against the Wisconsin Badgers on Sept. 6 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisc.

Notre Dame opened as a 16.5-point favorite over Wisconsin, and the over/under is set at 46.5 points. The Fighting Irish are -1050 favorites on the moneyline, while the Badgers are +660.

An early look at Notre Dame's Week 1 opponent

Luke Fickell Wisconsin Football — Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium. | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Wisconsin enters a pivotal fourth season under coach Luke Fickell, who landed the job after a 57-18 run at Cincinnati with a College Football Playoff appearance and three 11-plus win seasons. Fickell has struggled to get things rolling in Madison, though, with a 17-21 overall record and a 10-17 mark in Big Ten play.

Wisconsin finished 4-8 in 2025, including a six-game losing streak and wins over Miami of Ohio, Middle Tennessee, Washington and Illinois. The Badgers ranked 135th out of 136 FBS teams in scoring offense at 12.8 points per game and 39th in scoring defense at 21.6 points allowed per game.

Following 12th and 14th-place Big Ten finishes the last two seasons, Fickell was put on the hot seat in 2025, but he'll get at least one more shot to turn things around in 2026. Wisconsin's schedule is front-loaded with matchups against Notre Dame and Penn State in the first four weeks, but the Badgers avoid Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan, Illinois and Washington altogether, making bowl eligibility feasible.

Part of the reason for Wisconsin's mediocrity under Fickell has been inconsistent quarterback play and injuries. The Badgers rotated through four quarterbacks in 2025 and have started at least two quarterbacks in each of Fickell's three seasons.

Billy Edwards Jr. entered the 2025 season as the starting quarterback, but he played just two games due to injury and has since transferred to North Carolina. Wisconsin has landed commitments from transfer quarterbacks Colton Joseph (Old Dominion) and Deuce Adams (Louisville) as part of a 33-player transfer class that ranks 47th nationally, per 247Sports.

Colton Joseph Old Dominion — Old Dominion Monarchs quarterback Colton Joseph (1) ran for a 75-yard touchdown in the first play of the 2025 season opener against the Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium. | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Joseph certainly has the upper hand over Adams in experience, having 21 games over the last two seasons. In 2025, he completed 173-of-290 (59.7%) passes for 2,624 yards, 21 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He's a major threat to run the ball, too, logging 1,007 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns last season.

Notre Dame leads the all-time series against Wisconsin 9-6-2, though the teams have only met once since 1964. That matchup came on Sept. 25, 2021 at Soldier Field, where the Fighting Irish won 41-13 under coach Brian Kelly.

Wisconsin and coach Paul Chryst were outscored 31-3 in a disastrous fourth quarter that featured four turnovers, a missed field goal, a kick-return touchdown by Notre Dame and two pick-sixes.

It's a long time until Notre Dame and Wisconsin meet again, but oddsmakers seem to think it could be similar outcome to the last matchup.

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