Notre Dame Season Opener Win

Notre Dame Defeats Wisconsin in the 2026 Season Opener After Strong Performance

The 2026 regular season of Notre Dame football begins with a victory over Wisconsin. This comes nine months after the team was left out of the College Football Playoff. Despite entering as a significant favorite, Notre Dame has struggled in September under Marcus Freeman. Here are five reasons why the team should start the year with a 1-0 record. Notre Dame's quarterback, CJ Carr, has been hailed as a Heisman Trophy favorite and the team's defense is considered the best in the country. Wisconsin's offense averaged 12.8 points per game last season, the second worst in all of FBS. Despite adding 34 players to the team this off-season, Notre Notre Dame's defense has some of the best defensive players in the nation.