Wisconsin Badgers vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 09/06/2026

Game Time: 7:30 pm ET, Sunday, September 6, 2026

Venue:  Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI 

Where to Watch:  NBC

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Wisconsin +20.5, Notre Dame -20.5; Over/Under:  47.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Wisconsin +20.5, Notre Dame -20.5; Over/Under:  47.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Wisconsin +20.5, Notre Dame -20.5; Over/Under:  47.5 points

Wisconsin Badgers:  0-0 (0-0) (Big Ten)

Notre Dame Fighting Irish:  0-0 (0-0) (FBS Independent)

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Wisconsin Badgers:  N/A

Notre Dame Fighting Irish:  N/A

Wisconsin finished last season with a 4-8 record overall and they had a 2-7 record in their conference games too.  They were 4-3 in their home games, 0-5 in their road games, and they were also 0-0 in their neutral site games last season where they will be for this season opener. Last season, their offense was averaging 12.8 points scored per game while their defense was allowing an average of 21.6 points per game. Their offense also averaged 253.1 yards per game while their defense was allowing an average of 323.5 yards per game. Hunter Simmons led the team in passing yards with 664, Darrion Dupree led the team in rushing yards with 363, and Lance Mason led the team in receiving yards with 398.

 

 

 

Notre Dame finished last season with a 10-2 record overall and they had a 0-0 record in their conference games too.  They were 6-1 in their home games, 4-1 in their road games, and they were also 0-0 in their neutral site games last season where they will be for this season opener. Last season, their offense was averaging 42 points scored per game while their defense was allowing an average of 17.6 points per game. Their offense also averaged 458.5 yards per game while their defense was allowing an average of 313.5 yards per game. CJ Carr led the team in passing yards with 2,741, Jeremiyah Love led the team in rushing yards with 1,372, and Jordan Faison led the team in receiving yards with 640.

The current betting odds have Notre Dame listed as a 20.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Notre Dame had a great season going 10-2, but they missed the CFP due to a weaker schedule and their loss to Miami being the deciding factor. They lost a lot of talent to the NFL, but they have been one of the best programs in the nation under Freeman the last few years and they have done a really good job at reloading that talent. They always have a good defense under Freeman and the offense should take a step forward with Carr returning for another year, even though they did have one of the best offenses last season. They do have a really weak schedule once again though, so they really can't afford to lose a game this year and they have to make the most of the few tough games they have. Meanwhile, Wisconsin had a terrible season going 4-8 last year and they were one of the worst teams in the Big Ten. They also had one of the worst offenses in the nation and have completely lost their identity under Fickell. This could be a make or break year for Fickell though, now entering his 6th season with the team, so he needs to start showing some results. They should have a much improved offense this year with a better run game, but it really can't be trusted under Fickell until this team proves it. They have a bit of a home advantage here with the location of this neutral site game, but this still isn't an easy game to start the season with and Notre Dame won't be holding anything back here after missing the playoffs last season. These two programs are just in completely different spots entering this season, so look for Notre Dame to roll here and make a statement in their season opener. The best way to place a bet here is on Notre Dame to cover the spread in this game. 

Wisconsin Notre Dame Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Sunday, September 6, 2026 (7:30 pm ET start time) is Notre Dame 42 Wisconsin 10.

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Wisconsin Badgers: 10-14 ATS in all lined games. 1-5 ATS in non-conference games. 15-8 UNDER against FBS division opponents. 10-6 UNDER as an underdog.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish: 17-9 ATS against FBS division opponents. 15-8 ATS as a favorite. 17-9 ATS in non-conference games. 4-2 UNDER as a favorite of 10.5 to 21 points. 

Wisconsin Badgers:  E. Hilton Jr. (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. Domingeaux (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. Pope (RB) Questionable - Undisclosed. N. Palmer (RB) Questionable - Undisclosed. M. Coleman (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. B. Jackson II (RB) Questionable - Undisclosed. S. Rigby (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. D. O'Neil (QB) Questionable - Lower Body.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish:  Q. Porter (WR) Questionable - Knee. B. Hebert (QB) Questionable - Undisclosed.

“I think the strength of the team is balance,. Even going into fall camp, I was a little bit like, okay, how good can we be up front on the defensive side of the ball?” - Luke Fickell on his team coming into this new college football season. 

“It's challenge everything. How can we continue to find a better way? I think we did a debrief after the first 10 practices, we might've met for 15 more hours than we did in the previous year.” - Marcus Freeman on his team’s mindset coming into this new CFB season.

WR Hilton Jr., Eugene

WR Brooks Jr., Chris

WR Henry, Tyrell 

TE Harris, Jacob

QB Joseph, Colton

RB Sama III, Abu

FB Jansey, Tyler

WR Faison, Jordan

WR Porter, Quincy

WR Graham, Mylan

TE Flanagan, Cooper

QB Carr, CJ 

RB Williams, Aneyas

Passing: N/A

Rushing: N/A

Receiving: N/A

Touchdowns: N/A

Passing: N/A

Rushing: N/A

Receiving: N/A

Touchdowns: N/A

Coaches:

Wisconsin Badgers: Luke Fickell (5th season)

Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Marcus Freeman (6th season)