Majority believe Badgers will exceed expectations vs. Notre Dame

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The Wisconsin Badgers have a tall task ahead of them in Week 1, as they face the No. 4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who are considered one of the best teams in college football this season.

A ton of signs point against the Badgers. They have a team with over 30 new transfers, are still figuring things out offensively, and are facing an elite team with a ton of returning production, including from star quarterback C.J. Carr.

As a result, the spread has placed Notre Dame as a 20.5-point favorite for the game, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, which is one of the largest spreads Wisconsin has seen in the past decade. It’s understandable why: the Fighting Irish are expected to be elite on both sides of the ball, and there are a ton of unknowns around Wisconsin.

Still, that didn’t stop a majority of voters in our weekly Reacts poll from believing that Wisconsin would exceed expectations and cover the major Week 1 spread.

53 percent of fans believe Wisconsin will cover the spread against Notre Dame. I shared earlier this week that my pick for the game is towards the under, as I think both teams are going to shine more defensively. If that comes true, then there’s also a fair chance that Wisconsin is able to cover as well (although I’m not sure I’m leaning that way myself).

We’ve seen some crazy outputs already in Week 1, and the Badgers could be the next success story there, especially if their defense comes to play with a masterful performance in Week 1. But there are a ton of tough circumstances around the game, so we’ll see if Wisconsin is able to overcome the odds on Friday night.

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