Why Notre Dame's Opener vs Wisconsin Has Major Implications for 2026

If you asked most college football fans, they'd tell you that the only games that matter on Notre Dame's schedule are at BYU, vs. Miami and vs. SMU.

After all, those are the only matchups against teams that are ranked in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25. The other seven Power Conference foes that the Irish will face went a combined 10-49 in conference play last season.

That includes a Wisconsin team who went 2-7 in Big Ten play last year, where they averaged 9.0 points per conference game. Bad. I know. Hence, why Notre Dame is a 3-touchdown favorite in a game that's being played in the great state of Wisconsin (at Lambeau Field).

But don't sleep on the significance of this matchup vs. Wisconsin

Before we dig into whether Notre Dame can go 12-0 with what appears to be a favorable regular-season schedule, let's ask the more pressing question.

Can the Irish just get through September without a loss for the first time in the Marcus Freeman era? And perhaps of equal significance, can it look like a true championship contender leading up to those premier matchups?

One might argue that style points won't matter and it'll all come down to how the Irish fare in those three games. I'd argue that Notre Dame's margin for error is slimmer than other preseason national title contenders, especially after we saw that 10-2 with a pair of early-season losses wasn't good enough.

For all the boxes that Marcus Freeman has checked, his teams have struggled out of the gate.

(I realize that Ole Miss and Louisville are playing at the same time as Notre Dame and Wisconsin, but you get what I'm saying. It's a primetime Sunday night game in which fans won't have the NFL yet.)

In Games 1-2 in the Freeman era, his teams are 3-5 with a pair of infamous losses to Marshall and Northern Illinois.

History tells us that Freeman's teams have improved greatly post-Game 2, which is better than the alternative, but they've also added fuel to the fire that always seems to burn in September.

That is, oh, Notre Dame is overrated again.

It's not just about covering a 3-touchdown spread to avoid those discussions

If we want to eliminate the matchup vs. FCS Tennessee State and just focus on the FBS games in that Games 1-2 track record under Freeman, a 2-5 mark with an average of 24.9 points per contest stands out.

Of course, last year's slow start was the byproduct of a defense that was a shell of its 2024 self. Eventually, it improved. That slow start still proved costly.

Notre Dame passing the eye test against Wisconsin means putting together a complete performance in an early-season matchup. That's been the issue under Freeman. There shouldn't be any excuses for this team not to do that.

CJ Carr will return with a bevy of playmakers on the outside and with an experienced offensive line.

On the other side of the ball, Chris Ash is no longer the new defensive coordinator like he was last year. He'll return a unit with standouts at every level who figure to present problems for a new-look Wisconsin offense.

Have I mentioned yet that Wisconsin averaged 9.0 points per conference game yet? I have? It's worth repeating.

The Badgers have higher offensive expectations — that's not saying much — after bringing in Old Dominion dual-threat quarterback Colton Joseph, who knows a thing or two about starting hot.

On the first play from scrimmage last year, Joseph ran for a 75-yard touchdown against eventual national champs Indiana.

Again, though. Expectations for Sunday night's opener will be that he's held in check by a Notre Dame defense should have all the motivation to set a different tone than last year.

Wisconsin making it a 60-minute game would have 1 national takeaway

That is, Notre Dame isn't ready to end the 1988 drought.

Take that for what it is in early September. Lord knows that losing to Northern Illinois didn't stand in the way of the Irish reaching the national championship in 2024.

A close win vs. Wisconsin wouldn't suddenly change the trajectory of Notre Dame's 2026 outlook, though it's worth noting that 2025 Alabama is the only team who lost its season opener and earned a Playoff spot as an at-large team (2024 Clemson did so by virtue of winning the ACC).

But after getting its first preseason No. 1 votes in the AP Poll in 20 years, one can't help but feel like that early-season tone is an important one for the Irish to set.

It's somewhat overlooked that Freeman is facing is former boss, Luke Fickell. Go tell someone five years ago that Fickell would have one of the hottest seats in America and that Freeman would perhaps be on the cusp of returning Notre Dame to national championship glory.

Things can change in a hurry in this sport. We'll get a reminder of that if Notre Dame lays another early-season egg.

Add us as a preferred source on Google