(Photo: Joe Weiser)
Four games. Four opportunities. One expectation: 4-0.
The first in a three part series
The road to a College Football Playoff berth begins in September, and for Notre Dame, there is little margin for error.
On paper, the Irish should be favored in each of their first four games. Wisconsin is coming off a losing season, Rice and Purdue are rebuilding, and Michigan State enters a new era under Pat Fitzgerald. But expectations have changed in South Bend. A playoff contender isn’t judged simply by whether it wins these games—it is judged by how it wins them.
September is about establishing an identity, developing chemistry with new starters, and eliminating the mistakes that have occasionally surfaced early in Marcus Freeman’s tenure. If Notre Dame truly expects to compete for a national championship, a 4-0 start isn’t merely the goal—it’s the expectation.
Wisconsin
Head Coach: Luke Fickell (4th season)
2025 Record: 4-8
Key Returners: RB Darrion Dupree, WR Chris Brooks Jr., WR Eugene Hilton Jr., LB Cooper Catalano, DL Charles Perkins
Key Additions: QB Colton Joseph (Old Dominion), RB Abu Sama III (Iowa State), S Marvin Burks Jr. (Missouri), OL Austin Kawecki (Oklahoma State)
Key Losses: C Jake Renfro, LG Joe Brunner, OT Riley Mahlman, WR Trech Kekahuna, CB Omillio Agard
Few coaches enter 2026 under more pressure than Luke Fickell. Wisconsin’s 4-8 season was one of the program’s worst in decades, and the Badgers looked nothing like the physical, fundamentally sound teams that long defined Wisconsin football.
Quarterback injuries derailed the offense, prompting Fickell to land dual-threat quarterback Colton Joseph from Old Dominion. Joseph threw for 2,624 yards and 21 touchdowns while adding more than 1,000 rushing yards in leading the Monarchs to a 10-3 season. His ability to revive Wisconsin’s offense may ultimately determine whether the Badgers return to relevance.
Notre Dame opens the season Sunday, Sept. 6 against Wisconsin in a long awaited Shamrock Series game at Lambeau Field. Although the atmosphere will be unique, expect Green Bay to feel closer to a Notre Dame home game than a true neutral-site contest.
The opener always brings uncertainty, but Notre Dame has clear advantages in talent, depth and defensive playmakers. If the Irish establish the line of scrimmage early and force Joseph into obvious passing situations, Wisconsin simply doesn’t have enough firepower to keep pace. And Joseph may be forced into a mistake, or two, or three.
The Bottom Line: Opening games are rarely perfect, but Notre Dame should leave Lambeau with both a victory and valuable momentum heading into its home opener.
Rice
Head Coach: Scott Abell (2nd season)
2025 Record: 5-8
Key Returners: RB Quinton Jackson, OL Luke Miller, OL Patrick Valent, S Daveon Hook
Key Additions: QB Jacurri Brown (UCF), QB Gael Ochoa (UNLV), TE Preston Zinter (Notre Dame), WR Davis Lane Jr. (Virginia)
Key Losses: QB Chase Jenkins, RB Daelen Alexander, WR Aaron Turner
Scott Abell continues the rebuilding process at Rice after a 5-8 debut season. The Owls showed flashes of improvement in 2025 but struggled to find consistency, particularly at quarterback in Chase Jenkins, who transferred to Kansas.
Abell responded by bringing in Jacurri Brown from UCF and Gael Ochoa from UNLV, hoping one can stabilize the position. Running back Quinton Jackson returns after an 889-yard season, while former Notre Dame linebacker Preston Zinter provides a familiar face for Irish fans. Zinter has been moved to tight end for the 2026 season.
Rice may eventually become competitive under Abell, but this matchup is much more about Notre Dame than the Owls.
The Irish should dominate the talent battle from the opening kickoff. More importantly, this is an opportunity to continue developing timing on offense, build confidence, and clean up mistakes before the schedule becomes more demanding.
The Bottom Line: This is exactly the type of game a playoff-caliber team handles comfortably. Anything resembling fourth-quarter drama would be an unexpected disappointment.
Michigan State
Head Coach: Pat Fitzgerald (1st season)
2025 Record: 4-8
Key Returners: QB Alessio Milivojevic, LB Jordan Hall, WR Chrishon McCray
Key Additions: RB Cam Edwards (UConn), CB Charles Brantley (Miami), EDGE Kenny Soares Jr. (NC State), WR KK Smith (Notre Dame)
Key Losses: RB Makhi Frazier, WR Nick Marsh, TE Michael Masunas
Michigan State begins a new chapter under Pat Fitzgerald, who returns to the Big Ten after 17 seasons at Northwestern.
Fitzgerald is also familiar with Notre Dame. He split two meetings with the Irish while coaching the Wildcats, including Northwestern’s memorable overtime upset in South Bend in 2014 before Notre Dame earned a road victory in Evanston four years later.
The Spartans return quarterback Alessio Milivojevic and added one of the nation’s better Group of Five running backs in Cam Edwards from UConn. Former Notre Dame receiver KK Smith will also face his former teammates.
Still, Fitzgerald inherits a roster that needs time to develop.
The return of the Megaphone Trophy rivalry game should create a nice atmosphere under the lights at Notre Dame Stadium, but the Irish simply have too much talent across the roster for the Spartans. If Notre Dame is playing to its standard, this game should be decided by the second half.
The Bottom Line: Michigan State may become a dangerous team later in the season, but September is probably too early for Fitzgerald to pull off a major upset.
Purdue
Head Coach: Barry Odom (2nd season)
2025 Record: 2-10
Key Returners: QB Ryan Browne, RB Antonio Harris, LB Charles Correa
Key Additions: RB Jerrick Gibson (Texas), WR Bisi Owens (Penn)
Key Losses: LB Alex Sanford Jr., DL Demeco Kennedy
Barry Odom’s rebuilding project at Purdue remains in its early stages after a difficult 2-10 debut season.
Quarterback Ryan Browne returns with another year of experience, and the Boilermakers added former Texas running back Jerrick Gibson and productive Penn receiver Bisi Owens through the transfer portal. There are pieces to work with, but Purdue still lacks the depth necessary to consistently compete with the Big Ten’s upper-tier programs.
Rivalry games, however, sometimes ignore logic.
Ross-Ade Stadium has frustrated Notre Dame teams before, and Purdue’s best chance will be to shorten the game, force turnovers and create enough chaos to keep the Irish uncomfortable.
If Notre Dame protects the football and controls the line of scrimmage, its superior talent should eventually take over.
The Bottom Line: Purdue is improving, but the gap between these programs remains significant. Respect the rivalry, expect a competitive first half, and look for Notre Dame to pull away in the second half.
A September To Remember?
Notre Dame couldn’t ask for a much more manageable opening month.
Each opponent enters the season with significant questions, a/k/a problems. On the other hand, the Irish return one of the nation’s deepest and most talented rosters. That doesn’t guarantee success, but it does raise expectations.
A 4-0 start isn’t simply desirable—it’s required.
More important than the record, however, is how Notre Dame reaches it. The Irish should leave September with confidence in their quarterback, momentum on both sides of the ball, and the feeling that they’re improving every week.
If that happens, they’ll enter October exactly where they want to be: undefeated, battle-tested, and firmly in the national championship conversation.