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The Wisconsin and Notre Dame campuses in Madison, Wisconsin, and South Bend, Indiana, are about 250 miles apart, or about a four-hour drive. About halfway on this trip is Chicago, so it’s about as neutral as a neutral site can get. And that’s the purpose for which Soldier Field – home of the Chicago Bears – will be used on Saturday when No.12 Notre Dame and No.18 Wisconsin meet.
It’s a showdown of two of the Midwest’s most important programs. Notre Dame has all the history and a stronger hold in the region, and she has appeared in the college football playoffs twice in the past three seasons. Wisconsin has yet to make a playoff appearance, but it has been the dominant force in the western half of the Big Ten for the past two decades, winning five Big Ten titles and five division titles since the 1998 season.
And Wisconsin has a lot to thank Notre Dame. It was Barry Alvarez who came to Madison in the 1990 season and started the turnaround within the football program. Wisconsin hadn’t won a Big Ten title since 1962 before Alvarez arrived, and they won their first three years later in 1993. What does that have to do with Notre Dame? Well, before he became a Wisconsin coach, Alvarez was a defensive coordinator at Notre Dame, which he helped win a national title in 1988.
Discover CBS Sports’ LIVE coverage of Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin in Soldier Field.
Notre-Dame vs Wisconsin: what to know
Jack Coan’s Revenge Game: While he might pretend that this is just another game, you know this one has been circled by Jack Coan from the moment he was transferred to Notre Dame. Coan spent the first three years of his college career in Wisconsin before losing his job to Graham Mertz due to injury ahead of the (delayed) start of the 2020 Wisconsin season. Irish fans are no doubt hoping that Coan will show his former team what they are missing after two average starts.
Coan threw for 366 yards and four touchdowns while completing 74.3% of his passes on his Notre Dame debut, a 41-38 overtime win over Florida State. However, the past two weeks have been difficult. Coan completed just 56.3% of his passes against Toledo and Purdue, with four touchdowns and one interception. More noticeably, after averaging 10.5 yards per pass attempt against FSU, that number has dropped to 7.2 yards per attempt over the past two weeks.
The Irish weren’t that impressive in 2021: Yes, Notre Dame is 3-0 and ranked No.12 in the country, but she hasn’t lived up to expectations. It took overtime to sneak past Florida State 41-38, averted disaster in a 32-29 win over Toledo, and struggled to take out Purdue in a 27-13 win on the week last. Notre Dame was favored by a total of 31 points in their first three games but won them by 20. This is one of those situations where a team didn’t play badly, they just didn’t. played well enough to convince anyone that this is a team that is still capable of competing for a college football playoff berth, and that’s the expectation of this schedule.
Wisconsin are the most formidable team the Irish have faced so far and their biggest chance to make a statement on their potential in 2021.
The Wisconsin offensive ran out of explosive plays: The team’s defense is as stifling as ever, ranking eighth in the country in points allowed per practice (0.76) and third in available yards allowed (22.1%). The offense simply did not do enough to take over.
Entering this week’s game against Notre Dame, the Badgers’ offense has produced just three plays from 20 yards or more. It ranks last in the Big Ten – Iowa is 13th with eight – and 129th nationally, ahead of just Louisiana-Monroe. Of course, Wisconsin has only played two games, but if we break it down at the rate of explosive games, Wisconsin’s offense ranks 128th. Having a good defense is wonderful, but it is difficult to win games without big plays on offense.
How to watch Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin live
Dated: Saturday September 25 | Time: 12 p.m. ET
Site: Soldier Field – Chicago
TV: Fox | Direct: fuboTV (Try for free)
Notre Dame prediction against Wisconsin, pick
Featured Game | Wisconsin Badgers vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Not only do I think Notre Dame is covering the gap on Saturday, but I’m picking him to win the game straight away. While Notre Dame’s offense has struggled lately, there is enough talent in skill positions to be confident in its ability to bounce back. I don’t have about the same level of faith in the Wisconsin offense right now. We’ve all seen how the Badgers struggled to move the ball against Penn State in their opener of the season, and Notre Dame’s defense is just as strong as Penn State’s. The Wisconsin defense will keep the Badgers in the game, but unless they force multiple turnovers and possibly a score, I don’t see how the Wisconsin offense scores enough to win the game. Prediction: Notre Dame (+5.5)
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