Notre Dame football: One storyline for each 2021 matchup

Here is a look at games No. 4 through 6 for the 2021 Notre Dame football team.

Game No. 4: Notre Dame football vs. Wisconsin (at Soldier Field)

In what could be dubbed the “Jack Coan Game,” the Irish will head to Soldier Field to take on a very good Wisconsin Badgers team. Coan led the Badgers to a Big Ten Championship Game only two years ago, but with Graham Mertz stepping in with Coan out for the 2020 season, he lost his starting job. He will have a chance to earn the starting job in South Bend this offseason, bringing some heat to this matchup.

Game No. 5: Notre Dame football vs. Cincinnati

What a game this is going to be, as both Brian Kelly and Marcus Freeman will take on their own team in the Cincinnati Bearcats. Kelly left the program years ago, but the wounds have to still be fresh for the Bearcats when it comes to Freeman, who is widely regarded as one of the best young assistant coaches in all of college football.

Game No. 6: Notre Dame football at Virginia Tech

In their first road game since the opener at Florida State, the Irish will head down to Blacksburg, Virginia to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies. This is only the fourth meeting between these two programs, but it is their third in the last four seasons, and the last time these two played, Notre Dame was able to escape with a one-point victory at home.