No. 3 Notre Dame's matchup against the Wisconsin Badgers on at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. on Sunday night was the third-most watched Notre Dame game on NBC since 2005.
The game drew 8.1 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, the network's streaming service.
That's the third-most since the infamous "Bush push" game against USC in 2005. The other two matchups ahead of it were the 2023 game against Ohio State and the 2020 double OT game versus Clemson.
Several factors likely went into the high ratings. It was a primetime game on a relative island on Sunday night during a holiday weekend, it was the first game of the season, and it took place at a historic NFL stadium. Notre Dame is also expected to compete for a national championship, and Wisconsin
is expected to be a better team than in recent years. Despite a large point spread, there were some whispers that there was upset potential for the Badgers.
Indeed, some of the highest ratings were early in the game, while Wisconsin was down by just three points. The Fighting Irish did eventually dominate, winning 41-13.
Wisconsin-Notre Dame on NBC and @peacock is NBC Sports' third-most watched Notre Dame Football game since 2005, averaging 8.1 million viewers
— NBC Sports PR (@NBCSportsPR) September 10, 2026
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Notre Dame-Wisconsin is up there with classics in terms of NBC ratings
