Badger of Honor
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Games to watch for Wisconsin football fans during the bye week

By Tanner Nestle

MADISON, WI - AUGUST 31: Garrett Groshek #37, Alex Hornibrook #12, and A.J. Taylor #4 of the Wisconsin Badgers celebrate after scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Camp Randall Stadium on August 31, 2018 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MADISON, WI - AUGUST 31: Garrett Groshek #37, Alex Hornibrook #12, and A.J. Taylor #4 of the Wisconsin Badgers celebrate after scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Camp Randall Stadium on August 31, 2018 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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WINSTON SALEM, NC – SEPTEMBER 22: Ian Book #12 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish drops back to pass against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons during their game at BB&T Field on September 22, 2018 in Winston Salem, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

No. 7 Stanford at No. 8 Notre Dame

7:30p ET

NBC

This game doesn’t really affect the Badgers but it’s not every week we get two top 10 matchups in the same night. Stanford just escaped Oregon with a win last week and Notre Dame made a quarterback change that may have its offense clicking.

The one way this game could muddy up the Playoff landscape is if Notre Dame wins because there aren’t any games that stand out on the rest of the schedule. Road games at Virginia Tech, Northwestern, and USC are as tough as it gets. An undefeated Notre Dame team is probably the Playoff committee’s dream. Getting one of the largest fan bases in all of sports into the biggest event in college football will be a ratings goldmine.

There already are only four spots for five major conference champions and it’s likely the SEC is eyeing two of those spots. If Notre Dame runs the table, it’s possible that three power five conference champions get left out of the Playoff. Would the Big Ten be one of them?

Hopefully, this isn’t a bridge we have to cross. It’s very difficult to go undefeated in major college football. Even if the Irish win this game it’s possible they slip up down the road but a win would make things significantly easier for them and would start the worry for programs in every conference outside the SEC.