Notre Dame Football: 2021 schedule has plenty of intriguing storylines

Jack Coan takes on the Wisconsin Badgers inside Soldier Field

Notre Dame football opens up on the road against Florida State, and at that time, we will know who the Irish plans to start at quarterback this season. One of the bigger offseason storylines is going to revolve around who takes over for Book, whether it be graduate transfer Jack Coan, holdovers Drew Pyne and Brendon Clark, or a true freshman in Tyler Buchner.

History would suggest that it will be Coan who gets the nod to start, and in what would be his fourth start for the Irish, he would be taking on his former team in the Wisconsin Badgers. During the 2019 college football season, Coan led the Badgers to a 10-4 record in his 14 starts, earning a spot in the Big Ten title game, where they would lose to Ohio State.

Unfortunately, a foot injury cause Coan to miss the 2020 season, and with Graham Mertz engrained as the starter for the Badgers, there was no way he was going to start in 2021. Coan decided to transfer, landing on the Irish, and will have an opportunity to beat his former team on September 25.

The game against Wisconsin is not only big for the program, as Wisconsin is always a solid team, but it will be huge for Coan, who would like nothing more than to show his former school what they lost when he transferred. This matchup will take place inside Soldier Field, giving the storyline a little more intrigue as well.