At long last, I get to come on here and talk about a Wisconsin football game that’s happening in just a few days. Almost to the date, 10 years ago, I headed to Lambeau Field and watched the Badgers upset LSU in spectacular fashion.

My expectations for Sunday night are vastly different than back then, but even if the game ends in a loss under the lights, there’s still a lot I want to learn about this team.

Fickell, his staff and his players have told the media they’re ready to go all out, but now they actually have to prove it. If you’re expecting a victory in this game, you have unrealistic expectations. Do crazy things happen in college football? Sure. Could Wisconsin channel the Lambeau magic and win the game? Maybe, but I’m not betting on it. 

Still, a game against a legitimate national-title contender in week one is a great measuring stick to see where things are at. Here’s three storylines I’ll be monitoring closely on Sunday night.

The offensive line, specifically the right side

There’s no bigger question mark right now than the health of Kevin Heywood and Emerson Mandell. That’s arguably the biggest storyline for Wisconsin entering the game, and rightfully so. 

The staff has seemed reluctant to provide a significant update, so it remains unknown. Ideally, Fickell simply wants Notre Dame to be guessing as much as we are on the status of his top linemen, but it feels like we won’t know until the team runs out of the tunnel. 

Beyond Heywood and Mandell’s availability, I think the offensive line as a whole is one of the biggest storylines to monitor in this contest. Eric Mateos may be the highest-profile hire of anyone on Fickell’s staff, and the expectation is that he helps this offensive line return to dominant form. 

It’s not an overnight process, and would be especially difficult should one or both of Heywood and Mandell be unavailable, but there needs to be visible growth from that unit. Better yet, Notre Dame is the best front seven Wisconsin will play all season, I’m pretty confident of that.

This might be the best defense in the country, so I’m not asking for the offensive line to dominate the trenches and open holes for Abu Sama to rush for 200 yards. But, if the Fighting Irish front seven — as good as it is — faces no resistance from Mateos’ group, I would be concerned. 

Again, I’m not banking on a win or an unreasonable number of yards on the ground, but the offensive line needs to look like it belongs. If by the second half the Notre Dame defensive line is proving why it may be the best in the country and takes over, I won’t be too upset, but if it’s a total mismatch for four quarters, there’s reason for pessimism.

Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano’s opportunity on the big stage

The sophomore linebacker duo stole the show down the stretch in 2025, and did so in some big games. Ironically, of all players on the Wisconsin defense, in recent days, they’ve been the two receiving bulletin board material from a former Notre Dame player and fans.

Critiquing Wisconsin’s defense before its offense is certainly a choice. Even further, picking the two best players on the defense to throw shade at is extra motivation for a duo that lacks no desire for greatness and helping the program return to its proud place.

Sure, it’s meaningless social media banter, but I was shocked to see that it was those two, of all players, being mentioned in a negative light. Maybe they haven’t seen it but either way, they get a chance to silence doubt and emerge on the national stage.

As has been said all offseason, there’s room to grow for the duo, as they’re both only sophomores who started less than half of a season. To end the season in 2025, both guys produced at a high level against the eventual national champions, a College Football Playoff semifinalist and two additional ranked opponents.

Despite the limited sample size, they earned the respect of coaches, media and players around the Big Ten, but evidently, they haven’t earned the respect of everyone around the country. Understandably, there probably weren’t many eyes on Wisconsin in its final games of 2025, but for those who were watching, Posa and Catalano are the real deal.

Neither guy has suggested that anything is more important to them than winning, but based on what we’ve seen — both last season and this offseason — it shouldn’t be long before they’re known commodities on the national stage. 

As I’ve said in nearly every piece I’ve written this summer, there’s no grander opportunity than playing Notre Dame under the lights at Lambeau Field, and it feels like the perfect environment for Wisconsin’s stars to become known to the country.

Playing spoiler to the CJ Carr Heisman campaign

Carr could absolutely carve up Mike Tressel’s defense, even with a good game-plan. He’s that good. For that reason, he’s near the top of every preseason Heisman ranking. If he has a massive game to open the season, it’s going to be hard for Wisconsin to keep up. For Wisconsin to be competitive however, it would almost certainly have to put a damper on Carr’s preseason buzz.

Losing Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price — both first round picks — doesn’t make for an easy transition. I don’t anticipate Notre Dame has much of an issue figuring out a run game, but anytime you lose your top backs, there could be some growing pains, which is why I expect the Fighting Irish to lean on Carr, especially early in the season.

He is absolutely deserving of Heisman buzz, which presents a fun challenge for the Wisconsin defense. In week one, you don’t draw an FCS opponent, you get one of the best players in the country. As I mentioned, to have any real chance, the defense needs to get to Carr, force throws under pressure and turn him over. 

That’s much easier said than done, but the defense — led by Posa and Catalano — is starving to prove itself, and a strong outing against the No. 4 team in the nation and a Heisman-hopeful quarterback is the perfect way to do so.

I want to make sure it’s clear that I’m not predicting the Wisconsin defense to absolutely stifle Carr and force his Heisman campaign off the rails in week one. What can’t be argued is that we’ll immediately learn a lot about the defense because of Carr’s ability.

Wisconsin as a whole has nothing to lose, and even in a loss, showing that it can give Carr some problems would be a major green flag.