A Wisconsin win against No. 4 Notre Dame would go a long way for Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin program. It's a long shot, and the odds are stacked against them, but you never know. That would ultimately upset the Notre Dame season and narrative. Marcus Freeman's message this year and the team slogan the Irish have embraced is "Leave No Doubt." A loss would kill that right away.
Yet, the Badgers can upset the Irish's plans even in a loss. With Notre Dame having all sorts of goals this season, the phrase a "win is a win" may not actually be true. Wisconsin can play the villain right out of the gate for Notre Dame and have people doubting the Irish.
Here are three ways the Badgers can play the villain even in a loss:
1. Leave lots of doubts
The easiest thing to do for Wisconsin is to make Notre Dame earn every yard, every down, every point. If it's a slugfest and the Notre Dame offense can't get going, that puts a lot of doubt in the minds of the nation. Make the game close, keep Notre Dame uncomfortable, create a ton of miscues and failed opportunities.
A frustrated Notre Dame win is enough to start the doubts right off the bat. Remember how Wisconsin beat Washington last year? That game could have gone to the Huskies in the end, and even if it did, Washington would walk away with a ton of doubt. Do that to Notre Dame.
Josh Pate said this, "I have my concerns about Wisconsin because (Notre Dame) has had this stuff bottled up for months. They need to get margin of victory on teams to pad that resume. And I think Wisconsin may be victimized Sunday.”
Want to cause a panic in the national narrative? Keep it tight, make Notre Dame look very beatable.
2. Give CJ Carr a terrible game
Carr is a Heisman favorite, and there's a lot of noise surrounding the sophomore quarterback. Many think he can win the Heisman and head to the NFL. If the Badgers want to play the villain, this is an easy way to do it. Force Carr into a terrible game. The narrative around Carr can change overnight if he goes out there, throws ducks, makes mistakes, and Notre Dame has to find other ways to win.
Wisconsin frustrated a couple of quarterbacks last year, even in losses, like Oregon's Dante Moore and Drake Lindsay. Do that again with Carr.
3. Turn Lambeau into a home game
This may be the best way to be the villain and change the narrative. If Lambeau is full of red and it feels like a home environment for the Badgers, that's going to create a nice little talking point for media personalities. Why? Well, Notre Dame loves telling everyone that they are the most traveled team and that Irish fans are everywhere. Marcus Freeman even said he expects a 50/50 crowd, even though Lambeau Field is in Wisconsin.
Badger fans showing up and taking over helps immensely. Did you hear how much people talked about USC fans not showing up? "I thought you were a blue blood. Your fanbase is soft." Wisconsin has a chance to create that narrative with Notre Dame. But this one is up to the fans. The tickets have dropped in price, but they still are like $190 to get in the door, as of this writing.
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