Notre Dame football's season-opening opponent might feature a lame-duck coach, but there is at least one analyst who believes the Wisconsin Badgers could pull off a stunning upset in the first week of the college football season. If Brad Crawford is right, all the goodwill that the Fighting Irish and Marcus Freeman specifically have built up over the offseason would immediately bring in some mighty dark clouds.
Crawford recently wrote an article for CBS Sports where he laid out the five opponents who could potentially upset ND and send their season into a playoff-free spiral. Of the five, the Badgers certainly stand out as possessing the longest odds, though the North Carolina Tar Heels aren't far behind.
Brad Crawford sees Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame football facing a tricky Wisconsin opener
Some of Crawford's picks for potential Notre Dame upsets aren't surprising at all. Miami ranks as his top pick, with BYU close behind. Those are followed closely by SMU. It's safe to assume most analysts would peg those three schools as the best chances to upend the Irish, likely in that order as well.
So how does Crawford think the Badgers can do it? Unsurprisingly, most of the focus is on the Irish losing theirs. That early-season loss to Northern Illinois in 2024 still haunts Marcus Freeman, despite so few defeats since. The fact that two of those defeats came at the start of last season also stands out.
"While the hype surrounding this matchup will not approach the level of Miami or BYU," Crawford wrote. "Notre Dame stumbled in last season's highly anticipated opener at Miami after reaching the national championship game the year before. Another sluggish start would be a major blow to Freeman and his staff, given the praise the program received this offseason."
"As an early measuring-stick game for a team expected to contend nationally in 2026, there is no easing into expectations when the opener comes against a physical Big Ten opponent," the analyst continued. Granted, while Wisconsin might still be seen as a "physical" Big Ten opponent, they weren't particularly physical in 2025.
Marcus Freeman cannot let Notre Dame football repeat another shaky early-season stumble
Of course, Badger of Honor writer Mark Knight underlined that part of the hope for Luke Fickell's latest squad is that a ton of transfer additions can upgrade the roster quickly. He also hopes they'll add that physicality back.
"This has been an important key to the Luke Fickell offseason plan. He's worked on elevating every spot on the roster with more NIL money available. It may be hard for it to click in week one, but that's his goal."
Notre Dame likely knows that it's going to take every opponent's best shot in 2026. It better be ready, especially against schools that are considered heavy underdogs.
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