Sunday, September 6th is gonna be wild for the Wisconsin Badgers. They kick off their 2026 season against Notre Dame at Lambeau Field, and listen up, because the Fighting Irish are rolling in favored by a staggering 20.5 points. Yeah, you read that right.
The Brutal Opener Against Notre Dame
Talk about a brutal opener! Notre Dame isn’t just a good team, they finished 2025 at 10-2, riding a mind-blowing 10-game winning streak. They were so locked in, they pulled out of bowl consideration after just barely missing the College Football Playoff bracket. That’s a team with unfinished business, and Wisconsin gets them right out of the gate at 6:30 p.m.
This isn’t the first time these two were supposed to clash at Lambeau either, but that 2020 Shamrock Series game got canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. They ended up playing at Soldier Field a year later. It’s actually the first college game at Lambeau since Wisconsin played LSU way back in 2016. The atmosphere is gonna be insane, but man, that 20.5 point spread? That’s a huge mountain to climb right out of the gate.
Non-Conference Warm-Ups (Maybe?)
After that Lambeau epic, the Badgers get a couple home games at Camp Randall to maybe catch their breath. On Saturday, September 12th at 6:15 p.m., they face Western Illinois, an FCS squad. Now, the Leathernecks have been rough, finishing 4-8 the last two years and even going 0-11 in back-to-back seasons in 2022 and 2023. Their last winning season was in 2017. Coach Joe Davis’ team lost 52-3 to Illinois and 42-7 to Northwestern last season, so yeah, maybe a bit of a breather there.
Then on Saturday, September 19th at 11:30 a.m., Eastern Michigan rolls into town. They wrapped up 2025 at 4-8 overall, with a tough 1-5 road record. Chris Creighton’s been leading that Mid-American Conference program for 13 years, so they’ll be organized. Still, this non-conference slate looks like it swings from absolutely brutal to… well, not brutal.
The Big Ten Meat Grinder Kicks Off
The real test begins Saturday, September 26th when Big Ten play opens at Beaver Stadium against Penn State. This Nittany Lions team is gonna look different, with Matt Campbell taking over after James Franklin got fired following a disappointing 7-6 record in 2025 that included a 3-6 conference finish. Campbell’s a proven winner, snagging three Big 12 Coach of the Year awards in his 10 years at Iowa State. Plus, their new starting quarterback, Rocco Bech, followed him over from Iowa State. That’s a serious shake-up, and Wisconsin gets them fresh.
Then it’s back to Camp Randall on Saturday, October 3rd for Michigan State. And get this: Pat Fitzgerald is back in the Big Ten to coach a Spartans program that’s been struggling hard. Their last winning season was five years ago, and 2025 saw them go 4-8 overall, 1-8 in the Big Ten, and totally winless on the road. Fitzgerald, who spent 17 years at Northwestern, has a huge rebuild ahead of him, but you know he’ll bring that fire.
This early schedule for Wisconsin? It’s not just a season opener, it’s a statement. They’re jumping into the deep end with Notre Dame, then getting ready for a new-look Penn State and a hungry Michigan State. Every single game is gonna tell us who these Badgers really are. Sunday, September 6th can’t get here fast enough.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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