You won’t find many harder tests than what the Wisconsin Badgers have to face in just a few days' time against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
However, whether they win or lose, the Fighting Irish will serve as a great litmus test for how well the Badgers can compete ahead of a schedule that will provide several opportunities for winnable games to slowly push them back into the spotlight.
But before they can get to those fixtures, there are two questions that must be answered.
No. 1: What are the offensive improvements?
Last season, against power-conference opposition, the Badgers scored more than 10 points just twice. Combine that with an offense that totaled just 253.1 offensive yards per game (135th-worst in the FBS). While no one is expecting this to be a 500-yard week one showing, will
they do enough to keep themselves in the game, or will they continuously stall?
No. 2: How does the kicking situation look?
The Badgers compiled a 63.64% field goal rate in 2025, good for 116th in the nation. With 5th-year kicker Gavin Lahm set to take the mantle this season with zero field goals to his name, his production is unknown, and in a game like this against a team like Notre Dame, three points here and there could make all the difference.
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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Two questions Wisconsin football must answer vs. Notre Dame in Week 1
