Notre Dame-Wisconsin: Staff Predictions
We’re just a day away from kickoff between No. 10 Notre Dame and No. 15 Wisconsin in the biggest game of this college football weekend. Win and the Notre Dame faithful might just start to buy in that the Irish could be a real threat for the College Football Playoff despite how unimpressive they looked for the majority of the first three games. Lose and the slate of No. 8 Cincinnati, a trip to Virginia Tech, and home games against both USC and North Carolina to follow only appear that much more daunting.
So what happens Saturday at Soldier Field? We brought in a few reinforcements from Badgers Wire to help us try and figure exactly that out.
Ben Kenney of Badgers WIre:
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I see Saturday looking a lot like Wisconsin’s Week 1 contest against Penn State: Notre Dame’s offensive line will struggle with the Badgers front, Wisconsin will find success on the ground and Paul Chryst will go home happy about the time of possession stat. I think the Badger defense has what it takes to bottle Kyren Williams for the most part and run with the Fighting Irish’s receivers. If they can avoid the home run touchdowns, the unit could be looking at a single-digit performance. If not, this will be a really closely-contested game. Then for the Badger offense it’ll all be about what they do in the red zone and whether Mertz takes care of the football. In the end, I think the group does just enough to take care of the ball and put enough points on the board to win. Prediction: Wisconsin 21, Notre Dame 16
Geoffrey Clark - Fighting Irish Wire
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Last week, the Irish showed they can win even when their opponent has the edge in most statistical categories. That’s not quite the case this week, but they’ll be facing one of the best defenses in the country, which will be complimented by a strong running game. This will be a low-scoring affair as we see the Irish’s defense slowly starting to improve. Ultimately, it will come down to one or two pass plays, and since Jack Coan has played better than Graham Mertz so far this season, this Shamrock Series game will be a success much to the chagrin of the ‘Jump Around’ crowd. Prediction: Notre Dame 19, Wisconsin 14
Mike Chen of Fighting Irish Wire
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We missed out on this one last year, but Saturday early afternoon in Soldier Field, these two Midwest powers finally get to collide. The toughest test for the Irish will be against the Badgers, but which version of this team will show up? I’m not just talking about Notre Dame but Wisconsin as well. Both teams have slept walked up to this game and I fully expect to see the best from both squads. This game hinges on the quarterback battle, Graham Mertz and Jack Coan, the former teammates. Do we see FSU Coan or Purdue Coan? On the other side, Mertz has yet to throw a TD pass this year, but we all know he’s capable of lighting up a defense. Defensively, it’s the Badgers that have the advantage, they have had an up-close-and-personal view of what Coan can do. Jim Leonard, their defensive coordinator will play to their strengths and force Coan to beat them. Both quarterbacks will make mistakes but I think it’s Mertz that has less and the Badgers eek out a win in the Windy City. Prediction: Wisconsin 24 Notre Dame 20
Jeff Feyerer of Fighting Irish Wire
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Can I just insert a “shrug” emoji and be done with it? There is no way on gods green earth Badgers defensive coordinator Jim Leonard allows Kyren Williams to get a sniff of daylight in this game. Jack Coan will need to play the game of his life or at the very least complete a few passes early to keep the Badgers honest. And this could very well be the most important game Irish offensive coordinator Tommy Rees has had at Notre Dame. How can he scheme ways to get the ball to Notre Dame’s 3 biggest offensive weapons: Williams, Chris Tyree and Michael Mayer. Creativity we haven’t seen yet will have to tear it’s head. The only saving grace for the Irish is that Wisconsin’s offense isn’t exactly going to set the scoreboard on fire. The Irish defensive line has been very good thus far and I can see them giving Graham Mertz a very uncomfortable visit to Chicago. When it comes down to it…do I think the Irish can shut down the Wisconsin offense? Yes. Do I think Jack Coan can make a big play or two? Yes. Do I think the Irish are as mediocre as they’ve seemed thus far? No. Don’t just give me the six points. Give me the money line! Prediction: Notre Dame 20 Wisconsin 13
Nick Shepkowski of Fighting Irish Wire:
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I keep going back and forth on this one and I still am not fully sure how it ends but it should get a dandy. Wisconsin’s defense is well documented as one of the nation’s finest but as much as Notre Dame’s has struggled, they’ve only allowed three touchdowns in their last 29 series. What I see is a real struggle for points which should tug the heartstrings of the masses of midwestern football fans who have craved this matchup for a very long time. Who can connect on the big play and who forces the key turnover? It very well could take just one of each if points are as hard to come by as I expect. Dear lord, I've talked myself into it after saying all week I wouldn’t…Kyle Hamilton makes the difference with a massive play. Prediction: Notre Dame 13 Wisconsin 10
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