The Wisconsin Badgers opened the 2026 season with a painful 41–13 defeat to No. 4 Notre Dame at Lambeau Field, and the result has immediately raised questions about what comes next for Luke Fickell and his team.
Wisconsin actually showed promise early. The Badgers entered halftime trailing only 13–10 after making several big defensive plays. But the second half completely changed the game, with Notre Dame outscoring Wisconsin 28–3.
That collapse has put the spotlight on several areas, including defensive adjustments, tackling, offensive consistency and in-game decision-making. Critics have already questioned whether Wisconsin made enough adjustments after Notre Dame found its rhythm.