Wisconsin · Big TenFickell faces Freeman as Wisconsin visits Notre Dame
The former Cincinnati colleagues meet Sept. 6 after Notre Dame went 10-2 and Wisconsin finished 4-8 in 2025.
SEP 4, 2026
The Pate State · Editorial IllustrationWisconsin’s 2025 overall and Big Ten records
Freeman’s record as Notre Dame head coach
Notre Dame’s 2025 record
01 · The NewsFickell Faces Freeman in Notre Dame Test
Luke Fickell will face his former Cincinnati defensive coordinator, Marcus Freeman, when Wisconsin visits Notre Dame on Sunday, Sept. 6, a reunion that puts the Badgers’ rebuild against one of the sport’s strongest recent programs.
Freeman ran Fickell’s defense at Cincinnati from 2017 through 2021 before leaving for Notre Dame. He moved from defensive coordinator to head coach after Brian Kelly left for LSU.
Fickell said he is not surprised by Freeman’s success at Notre Dame.
“The unique thing is they find their way to create the things that make them even better,” Fickell said.
Freeman’s 43-12 record as Notre Dame’s head coach includes a trip to the 2024 College Football Playoff Championship. Fickell is 17-21 at Wisconsin. Notre Dame also opens 2026 ranked No. 4 in the AP poll and No. 5 in the coaches poll, while Josh Pate’s preseason bracket places the Irish as the No. 9 playoff seed.
That contrast gives the coaching reunion a sharper edge. Fickell is trying to pull Wisconsin out of a losing season; Freeman has built Notre Dame into a program expected to test the playoff field. The game offers no need for a long-range projection. The records already set the question for Sunday.
Wisconsin plays Western Illinois on Sept. 12. Notre Dame follows with Rice that day. For Fickell, the reunion is personal; the result will measure how much ground Wisconsin still has to cover.
02 · The StakesThe Stakes
The 7:30 p.m. ET game is an early test of whether Fickell can move Wisconsin back toward contention after a 4-8 season, or whether Notre Dame will quickly show how far the Badgers have to go. Notre Dame went 10-2 in 2025, while Wisconsin went 4-8 overall and 2-7 in Big Ten play.
03 · The Detail Beneath the HeadlineWhat Most People Are Missing
The reunion obscures a demanding first-month structure for Wisconsin. Josh Pate’s bracket places Notre Dame at No. 9 and Penn State at No. 7, giving the Badgers two projected playoff teams in their first four games. Those tests come Sept. 6 and Sept. 26, with home dates against Western Illinois and Eastern Michigan between them.
That sequence makes Notre Dame more than an isolated comparison between Freeman’s 43-12 record and Fickell’s 17-21 mark. Wisconsin gets 20 days to respond before visiting Penn State, so progress must become visible quickly against a schedule that offers a second high-end measurement before October.
04 · The Open QuestionsQuestions to Be Answered
Will Wisconsin be any closer to contention by the Penn State game?
The Sept. 26 trip to Penn State follows the Notre Dame opener and home games against Western Illinois on Sept. 12 and Eastern Michigan on Sept. 19. The score lines across those three games will show whether Wisconsin has moved beyond its 4-8 baseline before facing another projected playoff team.
05 · The Watch ListWhat We're Watching
Can Wisconsin stay with Notre Dame?
The tell is whether the Badgers can avoid quickly confirming how far they have to go after a 4-8 season.
Does the reunion look like a rebuild test?
Watch whether Fickell’s Wisconsin can challenge a Notre Dame team that went 10-2 in 2025 and opens ranked No. 4 in the AP poll.