Three keys for a Notre Dame victory over Wisconsin in the 2026 opener

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Notre Dame football will start its season tomorrow, as the majority of college football teams will start this afternoon.

The wait will be worth it, as the Irish have the opportunity to show the nation how good they are as a convincing win over Big Ten foe Wisconsin in Lambeau Field. This isn’t a gimme victory for Notre Dame, they’ll have to earn it, as we’ve seen teams struggle out of the gate.

Most of our staff doesn’t expect a blowout, more like a solid win for the Irish, as they march towards a return to the College Football Playoff. The hope is that we are wrong, with many believing that Notre Dame has the chance to win the national championship.

This game will be a solid first test for the Irish, and here are three keys for Notre Dame to avoid another upset in an early season game.

Notre Dame must not shy away from the run game

There are a few new faces on the offensive line, left tackle Will Black being the biggest, but the return of a proven quarterback in CJ Carr makes that transition a bit easier. The loss of two first-round running backs in Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price leaves a big hole but Aneyas Williams can fill it. Teams tend to get a bit pass-happy when you have a top-end quarterback, but Notre Dame shouldn’t do that. Testing the line and multiple backs will only make this team better, and running the ball will be a big path to success against the Badgers.

Notre Dame’s defense contains Wisconsin quarterback Colton Joseph

The transfer won the fall competition and is a true dual-threat player accounting for 2,624 yards in the air and 1,007 yards on the ground last year for Old Dominion. Yes, the level of competition will be significantly different, but the traits are there. In a win against Virginia Tech last year, Joseph completed 72.7% of his 22 attempts for 276-yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions adding 44-yards on the ground. He didn’t throw well against Indiana, but did rush for 179-yards and two touchdowns as they battled the eventual national champions to a 13-point loss. Notre Dame will most likely put a spy on him early, to try and stop the run game, and make him throw. That will play right in the Irish secondary’s hands, literally, and be a huge factor in the game.

Notre Dame using its depth to keep players fresh

The biggest different between Notre Dame and virtually everyone else in college football is the depth they possess. There aren’t many teams across the country that have multiple players on its two-deep that would be starters elsewhere, but that is the case for the Irish. Using it early will keep the first-team fresh for the second half, as this game should be fairly competitive early on. Notre Dame can impose its will if they’re rested, and there isn’t much drop-off from the backups. Head coach Marcus Freeman knows this, and he’s never been shy to play someone who he thinks belongs, so expect to see a lot of rotating as the Irish try to wear out the Badgers.

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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Three keys for a Notre Dame victory over Wisconsin in the 2026 opener

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