Notre Dame football opens the 2026 season on Sept. 6 when the Fighting Irish travel to Lambeau Field to take on the Wisconsin Badgers in a Shamrock Series matchup.

Head coach Marcus Freeman’s squad enters as heavy favorites, but this Wisconsin team presents a clear identity that Notre Dame cannot afford to overlook, especially with some of the early season blunders we have seen from the Fighting Irish in recent years. The Badgers are built to run the football, and they plan to lean on that strength from the opening snap.

Wisconsin is in a make-or-break season for head coach Luke Fickell. With any season opener, especially in a neutral-site setting, the Fighting Irish need to be wary of a Badgers team that could carry some levels of desperation and come out with surprises.

If you have followed Wisconsin football this offseason, one theme has emerged above all others: the ground game is the engine.

Wisconsin’s rushing attack starts with its quarterback

The Badgers welcomed Old Dominion transfer quarterback Colton Joseph this offseason. While Joseph has shown some good signs as a passer over the past two seasons, rushing has been his bread and butter.

During the 2025 season for Old Dominion, he rushed for 1,007 yards and 13 touchdowns on 6.4 yards per carry. The level of competition obviously increases in the Big Ten, so you probably don’t expect him to replicate those numbers against a Notre Dame defense that was very good in this specific area a year ago. However, his running dimension can open things up for a deep and talented running back room.

That room is led by Iowa State transfer Abu Sama III. The 5-foot-11, 211-pounder has some decent early NFL feedback and is coming off a season where he ran for 732 yards and five touchdowns on 5.2 yards per carry for the Cyclones. Sama has had some great moments over the last three years, but the ascension of Chase Hansen and the coaching staff turnover that followed Iowa State’s move to Penn State this offseason led Sama to find a new home.

Wisconsin is the spot, and he has reportedly been having a strong offseason. He brings an impressive blend of explosiveness and big-play ability.

The Badgers are 4-deep at running back

It does not end with Sama.

Wisconsin has built serious depth at the position. Darrion Dupree, a junior originally out of Mount Carmel High School in Chicago, Illinois, is the 5-foot-11, 218-pound complement. Dupree held an offer from Notre Dame back in the 2024 recruiting class. Brian Jackson II, who transferred from USC this offseason, and Nate Palmer, who came over from TCU through the transfer portal, round out a group that gives the Badgers legitimate four-deep talent at running back.

With that kind of depth, Wisconsin has a chance to run the football at an extremely impressive volume and potential efficiency in 2026. You can bet they will be trying to establish the ground game in that first contest at Lambeau Field.

Notre Dame’s run defense should be up for the challenge

One of the biggest improvements Notre Dame saw in the transition from Al Golden to defensive coordinator Chris Ash, although up and down in many areas, was the run defense getting a whole lot better.

With the linebacker room the Irish have coming back, this should be one of the better second levels in the entire country. Drayk Bowen, Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Jaiden Ausberry, Jaylen Sneed, and Madden Faraimo give Freeman a loaded group at the position.

Add in a revamped defensive tackle room led by Francis Brewu and Tionne Gray, both of whom came over as transfers from Pittsburgh and Oregon respectively, and this defense should once again be really stout against the run.

If Wisconsin has any chance of staying in that football game on Sept. 6, it comes down to their ability to control the tempo, eat up first downs, and keep the clock moving. Running the football is their ticket to staying competitive. If Notre Dame is able to shut them down, the Irish have an opportunity to come away with a massive victory.

Wisconsin is going to be a no-nonsense team with a clearly defined identity, and Notre Dame needs to take it away from them.