We made it, everyone. Wisconsin football is officially back.
After an offseason that included an infusion of cash into the program, the hiring of a new athletic director, and massive roster turnover through the transfer portal, it’s time to see what this team actually is.
And what better benchmark is there than opening the season against the No. 4 team in the country, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, at Lambeau Field on Sunday night?
The Badgers are, understandably, massive underdogs. FanDuel has the Irish as 20.5-point favorites.
No one expects Wisconsin to come out ahead in this one. Then again, no one expected unranked Wisconsin to beat No. 5 LSU at Lambeau Field 10 years ago either, and we know how that turned out.
So the new-look Badgers, led by Colton Joseph, will get a chance to show whether they can begin turning things around. A win over a title contender like Notre Dame would be a massive step in the right direction.
So how do we think Wisconsin will fare in its season opener against No. 4 Notre Dame? Here are the BadgerNotes staff predictions for Week 1.
Staff predictions
Dillon Graff
Season record: 0-0
Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame enter Week 1 at Lambeau Field looking every bit like a legitimate national championship contender.
The Irish are coming off a 10-2 season in which they rattled off 10 straight wins after an 0-2 start. Quarterback CJ Carr returns after throwing for 2,741 yards and 24 touchdowns against six interceptions while completing 66.6% of his passes. Notre Dame averaged 42 points and 458.5 yards per game, returns plenty of proven production on both sides of the ball, and should once again have one of the better defenses in the country.
Wisconsin enters this game in a very different place.
The Badgers went 4-8 last season, finished 2-7 in Big Ten play, and Luke Fickell is now 17-21 entering Year 4. The offense was among the worst in college football, averaging 12.8 points and 253.1 yards per game.
That said, there are legitimate reasons to believe this roster is better.
Wisconsin added more than 30 players through the transfer portal, invested considerably more resources into the roster, brought in Colton Joseph from Old Dominion to provide a dynamic running threat at quarterback, and addressed several of the team’s obvious weaknesses.
But I’m not ready to make the leap from bad to good until Wisconsin actually puts it on film.
Three years of declining results have earned some skepticism rather than the “blind faith” Fickell has repeatedly asked for during his tenure, and turning over this much of the roster raises its own set of questions. Asking so many new pieces on both sides of the ball to come together right away against one of the most talented teams in the country is a lot to ask.
Wisconsin can make this competitive for a while.
The Badgers want to establish the run, lean on Joseph’s legs, and hopefully control the clock enough to keep Notre Dame’s offense on the sideline. Defensively, I trust Wisconsin’s front seven, but the rebuilt secondary will probably be what makes or breaks this game. A year ago, the defense was too one-dimensional, consistently stopping the run while struggling to defend the pass. If that group has legitimately improved, Wisconsin has a much better chance of making the Irish work for it.
Over four quarters, though, Notre Dame has too many advantages. The Irish have more proven talent, considerably more continuity, and enough offensive explosiveness that I have a hard time seeing Wisconsin matching them score for score unless they can force a few turnovers, which is something Mike Tressel’s defenses haven’t shown the ability to do.
Maybe Wisconsin is much better than it was a year ago. I actually think they will be. But I’m firmly in wait-and-see mode with Fickell and this program until we’re given a reason not to be. One game at Lambeau won’t define the Badgers’ season. But I’m also not going to ignore three years of evidence because the offseason provided reasons for optimism.
Prediction: Notre Dame 31, Wisconsin 13
Christian Borman
Season record: 0-0
Luke Fickell and his staff are entering a pressure-packed season where the Badgers need to turn things around and start winning football games consistently. And what better way to start that season than with a matchup with a national championship contender?
Notre Dame enters the season as the No. 4 team in the country and a legitimate title contender.
Imagine a world where Wisconsin stuns the Irish and tops them at Lambeau Field, reminiscent of when the underdog Badgers took down No. 5 LSU there just 10 years ago. That would certainly turn some Fickell doubters around, right?
The Badgers come into the matchup as a whopping 20.5-point underdog. I think it’s closer than that.
If there’s one thing I’m confident in with this Wisconsin football team, it’s the defense. I think that side of the ball has talent and depth at all three levels. I’m not saying they are going to shut down the Irish, or even contain them, but I think they will keep things close for a while and the Badgers within striking distance.
Something I’m not confident in right now? The offense.
There are just so many new players, but most of all, I don’t trust the offensive line. Having two starters miss most, or all of fall camp is not ideal. If both Emerson Mandell and Kevin Heywood can play, will they be 100%? Even if they can play, there have been few to no snaps as a unit.
If the line struggles against this impressive Notre Dame defense, it’s going to make things incredibly difficult for the offense.
I think the defense keeps things close for a little while, but there isn’t enough offense to pull off the huge upset. The Irish pull away late on their way to a double-digit victory over Wisconsin.
Prediction: Notre Dame 27, Wisconsin 13
Seamus Rohrer
Season record: 0-0
“Leave no doubt?” Let’s not forget Wisconsin should be pretty exasperated with how last season went as well.
Don’t get me wrong, the Irish have a roster that’s the envy of about 98% of college football programs. They’re as well-positioned for a run at the national title as anyone. But the whole mystique surrounding their supposed impending revenge tour, in which every unfortunate team that happens to be in their path is about to get obliterated, doesn’t move me.
With that being said, Notre Dame is a far superior team in every capacity.
If Wisconsin wants to give themselves even a sliver of hope, it’s going to have to do two things it did worse than almost every FBS team last season: create explosive plays and force turnovers.
The Badgers look like a much different team this season, both on paper and via the eye test. That doesn’t mean they’re ready to knock off a team of the Fighting Irish’s caliber.
Prediction: Notre Dame 34, Wisconsin 13
Charlie Pietz
Season record: 0-0
The Irish are hungry after being left out of the playoff, now using the motto “Leave No Doubt.” They lack the elite RBs/WRs of a typical top-five team, but should be fine behind that line and CJ Carr. The defense has NFL players everywhere and will be a major headache for the Badgers.
Notre Dame brings an elite defense and one of the best defensive back rooms in the country. They lost Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price to the draft, but Carr is back at quarterback with his top receiving threats.
Wisconsin’s defense and a Lambeau crowd should keep this close early, but the problem is the other side of the ball. Sustaining touchdown drives against Notre Dame’s defense would be a tall order for anyone. For an offense coming off one of the worst seasons in modern college football history, it’s hard to picture, especially with no proven receiving threats.
Prediction: Notre Dame 27, Wisconsin 10
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