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Notre Dame Opens 2026 Season at Lambeau Field Against Wisconsin

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4 Notre Dame opens its 2026 college football season at Lambeau Field against Wisconsin, with head coach Marcus Freeman aiming to build on a 43-14 record and a 2024 national title appearance.
The Fighting Irish are 21-point favorites, and the SportsLine Projection Model predicts the game will go over 46.5 total points, projecting 51 combined points based on Notre Dame's high-powered offense and Wisconsin's offensive overhaul.

AI-generated summary

Why It Matters

Notre Dame enters the 2026 season ranked fourth nationally, its highest Week 1 ranking in 20 years, under head coach Marcus Freeman, who has a 43-14 record over four seasons and a 2024 national title game appearance. Wisconsin has seen declining win totals under Luke Fickell, going from seven wins in his first season to five, then four.

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One of the most-historic teams in college football opens its 2026 season at one of the more-historic spots in not just pro football, but all of sports. The fourth-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish begin a season of high expectations at Lambeau Field on Sunday night against the Wisconsin Badgers. Head coach Marcus Freeman has amassed a 43-14 mark over four years, with an appearance in the 2024 national title game. This, however, is the highest the Irish have been ranked in Week 1 in 20 years. The Badgers, meanwhile, have gone from seven wins in Luke Fickell's first season at the helm, to five, then four. An opening win over Notre Dame at Lambeau would be a huge boost for his job security. Visit our DraftKings promo code review and get $200 in bonus bets as a new user after $5+ in wagers here:

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. The Fighting Irish are 21-point favorites in the latest Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin odds. The over/under for total points is 46.5. Before making any Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin picks, check out the Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The model simulates every FBS game 10,000 times. It is on a 32-19 run on top-rated CFB money-line picks on betting sites since the 2024 season, and it has been upgraded for the 2026 season to even better factor in the transfer portal. Anybody following its college football betting picks could have seen strong returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the FBS college football odds and trends for Wisconsin vs. Notre Dame:

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Top Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin predictions

After simulating Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin 10,000 times, SportsLine's model is going Over (46.5 points) at the best betting apps.

The Fighting Irish averaged 42 ppg last season, the highest among power teams. And they return starting quarterback CJ Carr, who threw for 2,741 yards and 24 TDs and is expected to be one of the nation's premier signal-callers this season. They will need to replace two running backs who were drafted in the NFL, including star Jeremiyah Love. On the other side, the Badgers' offense was among the nation's worst last year. They put their NIL funds to work in improving that, adding dual-threat quarterback Colton Joseph from Old Dominion and running back Abu Sama from Iowa State.

With Carr back on one side and a much-needed overhaul on the other, SportsLine's model is projecting 51 combined points, making the Over the value pick hitting 55% of the time. See the model's spread and money-line picks at SportsLine.

How to make Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin picks

In addition to going Over on the total, the model also says one side of the spread hits well over 60% of the time. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.