College Football Preview – Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Wisconsin Badgers

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will face their toughest test yet this season when they take on the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday afternoon. No. 12 Notre Dame is 3-0, but the Fighting Irish have not been impressive in any of their three victories over middling (at-best) opponents. Meanwhile, No. 18 Wisconsin is 1-1, but the Badgers lone loss came against unbeaten Penn State and has had a week to prepare for this game.

This will be FOX’s Big Noon Saturday Game of the week as Notre Dame and Wisconsin clash at legendary Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois on Saturday, September 25, 2021, at 12 p.m. ET.

College Football Betting Odds

Wisconsin -6.5

Notre Dame +6.5

Total 45

Wisconsin is close to a touchdown favorite in this game as the Badgers probably should have defeated Penn State in Week 1. The Badgers had 29 first downs and held the ball for almost 43 minutes, while the Nittany Lions had just 11 first downs on the day. However, three Graham Mertz turnovers (two inside Penn State’s 10-yard line), cost the Badgers in a big way.

The Fighting Irish needed overtime to beat Florida State in their season opener, trailed Toledo late in the fourth quarter, and were only ahead of Purdue by four points entering the fourth quarter in their three wins. Notre Dame is one of the most fortunate 3-0 teams in the country.

When Notre Dame Has the Ball

Former Wisconsin quarterback Jack Coan will lead the Irish on Saturday afternoon. Coan has put up pretty solid numbers this season considering the offensive line play has been poor. He is completing 63.3% of his passes for 828 yards with eight touchdowns and two interceptions while averaging 8.4 YPA. Coan has been sacked a whopping 14 times through just three games.

Tight end Michael Mayer is one of the most talented players at his position in the country and leads the Irish in receiving. The second-leading receiver is running back Kyren Williams who has thrived out of the backfield but is only averaging 4.6 YPC behind this offensive line.

The Badgers have the third-best defense in the country per SP+. Wisconsin shut down Penn State’s run game in the season opener, so Notre Dame will likely need to hit Mayer often and create some big plays over the top to beat this defense.

When Wisconsin Has the Ball

Graham Mertz was one of the highest-rated recruits in Wisconsin history and came to campus with a lot of fanfare. However, Mertz has really struggled after looking fantastic in his first two starts. He ended the 2020 season with a thud, and he has only thrown for 326 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions through Wisky’s first two games this season.

Wisconsin will try to keep the ball on the ground as much as possible. Chez Mellusi, Isaac Guerendo, and Jalen Berger are an intimidating set of bruisers, and they will wear on Notre Dame’s defense in this game.

The Fighting Irish aren’t as great on defense as we have seen in previous years. It’s going to take some time for Marcus Freeman to install his system for the departed Clark Lea, so Wisconsin might have a good amount of success running the ball.

Prediction

This isn’t a high total, but the Under is a great bet in this game. Neither team is likely to score much, and Notre Dame’s offense is probably going to be completely shut down by Wisconsin’s intimidating defense.

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