Yup. I have yet to see evidence that the Badgers can make this competitive, but this is Fickell's first chance this season to prove that he shouldn't be fired. He sounds very positive about the defense (but that also suggests the offense hasn't looked great in fall camp). A 20.5-point spread is awfully big for a first game of the season between two Power 5 teams. It wouldn't surprise me if ND doesn't beat Wisconsin by that much, but I'll be real surprised if the game is close. I think Wisconsin's top end is probably about 13 points, and Notre Dame will likely be in the high 20s to low 30s, so just shy of the spread. ESPN--the bastion of all college football knowledge, thinks there is an almost 95% chance that ND wins, i.e., ND wins 19 out of 20 times. That's a lot.
I really wish I was more excited about this game--excited enough that SFIrish and I would make the trip to Green Bay. But I'm not.
P.S. These games should have been played at the teams' home stadiums. Speaking from experience, both fan bases would have really enjoyed the experiences at Camp Randall and the House that Rockne Built, and the home teams would have enjoyed hosting the visitors. Sigh.
