Way Too Early Wisconsin Football Opponent Preview: Notre Dame

What to know about the Fighting Irish ahead of the season-opener in Titletown

Aug 31, 2017; Green Bay, WI, USA; The exterior of Lambeau Field is seen before a game between the Los Angeles Rams and Green Bay Packers. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Just over 10 years to the date of the program’s spectacular win over LSU at Lambeau Field in 2016, Wisconsin will have another opportunity to get this season underway with a bang, facing Notre Dame on a Sunday night at the NFL’s most iconic venue. 

While turning back the clock in a similar victorious effort would be a monumental step for the program facing pressure it hasn’t faced in decades coming off a second-straight losing season, the matchup is at the very least an excellent opportunity to learn about this year’s team against one of the nation’s premier programs. 

Expectations in 2026 for these two programs look very different, but regardless, we’ll see what the Badgers are made of right away.

Kicking off a new series, I’ll be previewing each opponent on the schedule, starting with the Fighting Irish, looking at how their season ended, the most notable roster changes, their outlook for the season and a pick for the game. 

How 2025 ended

The entire nation knows how the 2025 campaign ended for the Irish, even without a postseason appearance. When Marcus Freeman’s team was left out of the College Football Playoff, the University decided that the program would decline an invitation to a bowl game. 

Did Notre Dame have a valid argument to be in the playoff bracket? Absolutely. But, the committee opted for additional Group of Five representation with James Madison, and Miami–which beat the Irish head-to-head–with the final spots. 

There’s a lot of players returning in 2026 for Freeman, and with the way last season ended because of early-season losses, I imagine there will be a strong sense of urgency for Notre Dame at Lambeau, even if Wisconsin hasn’t been the part of a quality opponent last season.

Key losses

Freeman was able to retain a number of key pieces on both sides of the ball. CJ Carr will obviously be the quarterback, and has Heisman upside in 2026, but who is in the backfield with him will be the biggest change. Both Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price were drafted in the first round of the NFL, leaving a gaping hole at running back.

The Arizona Cardinals introduce their first-round draft pick running back Jeremiyah Love during a news conference at the Cardinals Dignity Health training facility on April 24, 2026, in Tempe, Ariz. | Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Aneyas Williams is expected to start alongside Carr, and behind an offensive line with multiple returning faces, will hope to build on the success of Price and Love. I don’t anticipate it being a horribly rough transition given the standard of excellence up front Notre Dame has established, but it’s something to keep an eye on regarding Wisconsin’s game-plan trying to find a weakness to exploit in hopes of an upset.

Key additions

Staying on the offensive side of the ball, the wideout room is headlined by the returning Jordan Faison, but features a few new faces that offer significant upside.

Both Mylan Graham and Quincy Porter transferred from Ohio State, and while they aren’t super proven at the college level, both possess the tools to be stars in South Bend. Until I see otherwise on the field, there’s always good reason to believe Ohio State receivers can cause a defense problems. 

Apr 25, 2026; Notre Dame, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Mylan Graham (3) makes a catch during the Blue-Gold game at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

I want to see how Wisconsin’s revamped secondary looks on the field, and week one against a quality receiving corps will be a great opportunity for an early assessment.

Defensively, the Irish return a number of starters, but the key addition was DJ McKinney in the secondary. With as many returning faces on that side of the ball as Notre Dame has, supplemented by a few key transfers, headlined by McKinney, Jeff Grimes’ unit will need to play much better than we’ve seen if Wisconsin wants to have a chance.

2026 outlook

I would argue that of any team on the schedule in 2026, Notre Dame has the simplest season outlook. The Irish want to get back to the College Football Playoff and compete for a national championship.

As we saw with their bowl opt-out, anything less is a failure, so I’m not going to sit here and pretend the expectation is anything other than to compete for a title.

Prediction

Notre Dame 31, Wisconsin 20

I would love more than anything for the Badgers to replicate the result of the 2016 matchup with a top-10 opponent in Green Bay, but at this point, I’m not ready to go on the record saying they’ll win this game. 

The optimist in me has Wisconsin covering the spread comfortably, but not having enough to take down the Irish.

In most cases, the amount of new faces offensively for Wisconsin would lead to a bumpy start, and it might. However, it can’t get worse than it was to close the 2025 season, and I think we’ll see a rejuvenated energy with a new–and hopefully healthy–quarterback and fresh faces at every position.

The offense won’t be perfect by any means, and I don’t have it providing enough to win this game, but if it can orchestrate a few solid scoring drives, and lean on the defense to keep the game within reach, there’s no reason Wisconsin can’t at least be competitive in this matchup.

Ultimately, even surrounded by new faces in the skill positions offensively, I have Carr and Notre Dame doing enough to start the season 1-0, but Wisconsin showing flashes of what the improved product may look like.