Wisconsin Opens 2026 Season Against No. 4 Notre Dame at Lambeau Field on NBC

The Wisconsin Badgers begin their 2026 campaign with a marquee matchup against fourth-ranked Notre Dame, set for Sunday, September 6 at 6:30 p.m. at Lambeau Field, with national coverage on NBC — the flagship network of Comcast Corporation. Sportsbooks have installed the Fighting Irish as 20.5-point favorites, with the over/under set at 47.5.

The matchup pits two rosters built in sharply different ways. Wisconsin has retooled aggressively through the transfer portal, adding more than 30 new players, including quarterback Colton Joseph. Notre Dame, by contrast, brought in just seven transfers and will lean heavily on returning talent, headlined by quarterback C.J. Carr.

Wisconsin enters the season looking to move past two difficult years under head coach Luke Fickell, though the program has generated considerable optimism during the offseason as it embraces its rebuilt roster. Notre Dame arrives with national-title expectations after being excluded from last season’s College Football Playoff despite finishing among the country’s top teams.

The game carries broader significance for the sports media landscape. NBC’s Big Ten rights package has made college football a cornerstone of its weekend programming, and a Lambeau Field showcase featuring a top-five Irish team offers the network a high-profile early-season draw. Comcast shares closed recently at $26.38, slipping about 0.3% in the latest session, valuing the media and telecom giant at roughly $94.4 billion.

For Wisconsin, the opener serves as an early measuring stick for how far the overhauled roster has come against one of the nation’s elite programs. For Notre Dame, it is the first step in a season framed around returning to the Playoff after last year’s snub.

What to watch

• Whether Wisconsin’s heavily remade roster — including new quarterback Colton Joseph — can keep pace with a top-five opponent in its first live test.
• Notre Dame’s start to a season with Playoff expectations after last year’s omission from the field.
• NBC’s Sunday night viewership for the Lambeau Field showcase, an early data point for Comcast’s college football strategy this fall.
• Line movement ahead of kickoff, with the Irish currently favored by 20.5 points and the total set at 47.5.

Source: original release