Why the Badgers' Opener vs. Notre Dame is a 'Trap Game' for Fighting Irish

There's no tuneups for the Badgers this year.

Instead of opening the 2026 campaign against an overmatched FCS foe or a middling MAC program, Wisconsin has the pleasure of facing what promises to be a preseason top-five team, Notre Dame.

The matchup, slated for Sunday night of Week 1 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, looms large. Watching practice, you can tell there's a different level of intensity in the air with the Fighting Irish lurking around the corner.

The pads are popping, trash is being talked and each and every rep feels meaningful, especially in 11-on-11s. It goes without saying that this is a massive opener for the Badgers, who immediately get a shot to make an enormous statement on a national level.

Wisconsin is coming of a 4-8 season; head coach Luke Fickell and company are simply trying to get back to respectability. Notre Dame is coming off a 10-2 season that saw the Irish narrowly miss the College Football Playoff and proceed to throw a temper tantrum when they missed out, refusing to play in a bowl game.

That is to say, these are two programs in vastly different places. All that's on the mind of the Fighting Irish is to leave no doubt and force the CFP selection committee to include them come December.

Wisconsin, meanwhile, can't afford to think that big-picture. Again, the Badgers beat just two Power Four opponents last season; they need to take it one game at a time.

Thus, it checks out that Pro Football Focus recently included the showdown at Lambeau in a list of "trap games" for national title contenders.

What makes this game dangerous for Notre Dame

Head coach Marcus Freeman during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026, in South Bend. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Many national pundits and writers are extremely high on the Fighting Irish this year, and for good reason. They return a talented, experienced quarterback in CJ Carr who's coming off an excellent year in his first season as a starter in South Bend. The defense, particularly the secondary, looks elite, while enough playmakers remain around Carr to field an offense that can score plenty of points.

But if there's a time to play Notre Dame under head coach Marcus Freeman, it's September. The skipper started the season 0-2 last fall, dropping narrow contests against Miami and Texas A&M. While I certainly wouldn't compare the 2026 Badgers to either of the aforementioned 2025 CFP teams, it's not just blue-bloods that have knocked off the Irish in September. Freeman also has brutal losses to Marshall and NIU — both at home — on his resume.

It'll also be interesting to see who the environment favors. Sure, Green Bay seems like an obvious semi-home environment for the Badgers, but given that it's technically Notre Dame's home game in the Shamrock Series, the Irish have been granted a large amount of tickets. The crowd may not be as pro-Wisconsin as one might imagine it to be at Lambeau Field.

Still, even if Notre Dame is heavily represented in the stands (which it certainly will be), the neutral site, Sunday night aspect levels the playing field. It's a unique time to play a college football game in a unique place, and environments like that tend to favor the underdog.

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