And finally, it's here.
Notre Dame is set to kick off the 2026 season on Sunday, and it's one that the program thinks will see it take dead aim at its first national championship
since 1988. When Notre Dame last started a season in Wisconsin, it came within minutes of winning a national championship in 1964. Does it finish the job this year?
Few football venues come close to touching Lambeau Field
, where a rebuilt Wisconsin team looking to make a splash in 2026 will be waiting for Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame.
So what happens Sunday night in Green Bay?
Here's what the Notre Dame On SI
staff of writers has to say.
Expectations are as high as ever on the offensive side of the ball for the Irish despite losing running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price to the NFL. But are the expectations too high? Maybe.
Quarterback CJ Carr is a future first-round pick and a legit Heisman contender, but without a proven running back, Carr is going to have to carry the load. I think he's up for the challenge, but it might take some time for the Notre Dame offense to gel.
As for the defense, expect ND to dominate with eight starters returning, led by arguably the best cornerback in college football in Leonard Moore, and veteran inside linebacker Drayk Bowen.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin is coming off back-to-back disappointing seasons under head coach Luke Fickell, and I don't see things getting all that much better this year. Maybe Old Dominion transfer Colton Joseph is the answer at quarterback, but I'm not all that optimistic. Wisconsin's defense is legit and will make things difficult for ND's offense, but I'm still concerned about the Badgers offense. I don't see Wisconsin finding the end zone on Sunday, and I like Notre Dame by three scores.
Notre Dame 31, Wisconsin 9
Safe to say I haven't been this excited about a Notre Dame opening game in my lifetime. It's not because they're playing at historic Lambeau Field, home to this writer's favorite NFL team. It's not because of the nine-month layoff. That happens every year. No, this year is different. And we've been told this year was going to be different ever since the Irish were left out of last season's playoff.
"Leave No Doubt" is the mantra Marcus Freeman has been repeating ever since then, telling his team that there's one way they can never be left out of the playoff again. When previous Notre Dame coaches would utter something like this, it would come across as nothing but bluster. But with Freeman, it feels different. And I feel sorry that Luke Fickell's Badgers will be the opening act for the Irish Revenge Tour.
The best defense the Irish have had since 1993. Potentially the best QB they've had...I'm not going to say it. There's so much to look forward to. And I can't wait.
Notre Dame 37, Wisconsin 7
And we are back! After a painful nine-month layoff, the Irish are back in action against a Wisconsin team that may have the best defense on the schedule in the first half of the season. With this in mind, combined with all of the new moving pieces offensively, I think Notre Dame may not be firing on all cylinders early in the opener but will eventually find a groove through both the run game and play-action passes. On the other side of the ball, Notre Dame defense is who we thought they were, and the Irish start 1-0.
Notre Dame 35, Wisconsin 13
Way back in 2016, a loaded LSU team started the season against Wisconsin in Lambeau Field. The Tigers were 10.5-point favorites; they were on their way to a massive run as a favorite to play for the national title, and ... (cue sad trombone) womp wompThe hype, the love, the expectations, the being picked by every
analyst to win the national title - this just SCREAMS Notre Dame faceplant.The Wisconsin defense that was so good last year is still terrific, The Wisconsin offense that was so bad last year is at least promising - Old Dominion transfer quarterback Colton Joseph will give the Fighting Irish fits in the second half. But ... no.Notre Dame really is that good, the defense will step up when it has to, and Marcus Freeman's bunch will get out of Lambeau alive. The low-scoring fight will be more about Wisconsin improving than the Irish being bad (the overreaction will be ridiculous).
Notre Dame 26, Wisconsin 16
Notre Dame's defense might be the best in the country, something that doesn't get discussed nearly as much as CJ Carr. While the offense starts a bit slow, I see Notre Dame's defense starting with a bang and forcing a couple of turnovers that set up scores and allow the Irish to pull away. Give me a defensive touchdown along with Notre Dame's first successful field goal try since October 11 of last year.
This begins a two-month stretch where Notre Dame doesn't allow more than 14 points in a single game.
Notre Dame 38, Wisconsin 10
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/notredame as Notre Dame vs Wisconsin: How the On SI Staff Sees the Opener Going .
