ESPN College Gameday and Fox Sports Big Noon Kickoff at Soldier Field

Our game against Wisconsin is going to be very interesting. Wisconsin will either be feeling desperate after two losses or they'll be flying high after a neutral field win over a top 15 team. Plus, a chance for Harbaugh to beat a decent team on the road, which he often fails to do. 

ND's OL is a mess, but the big question is if Graham Mertz will show up. He's currently #98 in the country in passer efficiency (as an aside, McNamara would be #15 if he had enough attempts to qualify). If both sides play to what they've shown, a repeat of the Wisconsin-Penn State game seems likely, where Wisconsin looks better down to down but has to survive mistakes and guard against ND's explosives.

I hope they play a triple overtime thriller in 90 degree heat. 

Assumed ESPN picked this one just because it was in Chicago, since both teams have been disappointing this year, but the schedule this week really sucks...

Only other ranked match-up this week is A&M vs Arkansas at Jerry World.

I’m surprised ESPN isn’t coming to Ann Arbor for the big rivalry game. Both Michigan and Rutgers are 3-0 and coming of an epic triple OT thriller in 2020. 

Soldier Field??  I thought this game was being played in Madison.  Ugh. 

I can't decide which outcome is better for us.  We need to win a notable road game regardless.  But I'd rather face a team who is not feeling extra desperate.   

I’m absolutely rooting for Wisconsin to trounce the Domers.  First off, I like what Chryst has done with Wisconsin, they seem like a clean program, and I despise ND’s sense of entitlement in general and Brian Kelly in particular. As always, To Hell with Notre Dame.  Secondly, I want Wisconsin to be as highly ranked as possible when we go into Camp Randall and give them a taste of their own medicine.  We’ve been letting them punk us for far too long.

Still think that this game being played at Soldier Field is the dumbest thing in the world, especially when both home stadiums are Camp Randall and Notre Dame Stadium.

I do enjoy that Wisconsin is going to have a tough game before we play them tho!

I want Wisconsin to win in a debilitating four-overtime slugfest in 90 degree heat.

Tough game to pick.  I think both teams are overrated right now, but the spread is about right.

ND has the following resume: an overtime win against a shit FSU team that is now 0-3 after getting bombed by Wake Forest; a late TD to salvage a 3 point win against 1-2 Toledo (who just lost 22-6 to Colorado State); and had to pull away in the 4th to win by 14 against Purdue.  The only wins by their opponents are Toledo's win over Norfolk State and Purdue's wins against Oregon State (a below average PAC 12 team) and UConn (the worst team in the Power 5, and I'm including Kansas).  It's reminiscent of the 2013 Michigan team that had its own nailbiter wins against Akron and UConn, and then went 3-5 in the conference, with one of the 3 wins being the fire drill FG game against Northwestern.  They're just mediocre.

Wisconsin is harder to peg. I thought they were better than Penn State but kept finding ways to lose.  They throttled Eastern pretty decisively, but...it's Eastern. Mertz has yet to throw a TD pass and only threw for 5 YPA with 2 INTs against Penn State.  If their defense is really good, then they can compete for their division.  If they just held Penn State to 16 points because Frames is Frames, then I think they end up 8-4 or even 7-5.

Bold prediction: At least one of these teams goes into bowl season unranked.

I have to say, our schedule went from being a top 10 toughest to being relatively doable, especially if we are actually as good as we look right now.  Our first real "big time, for realsies tough game" according to everyone watching us is @Wisconsin, (a place we haven't won at in nearly two decades).  But Wisconsin looks shaky this year with a lackluster passing game (their passing game is what a lot of doubters THINK our passing game is like) and a running game that's good but not as sterling as the typical Wisconsin ground game.  And their defense is good of course, but not the destroyers of offense they have been for the last few years.

And now they'll be softened up by Notre Dame in a big time game that could almost make us a trap game as Wisconsin won't be as hyped for us as they are likely going to be this week.  So it's all setup for us to finally win a big road game at Camp Randall and really start ratcheting up the expectations for this year.  

As far as picking a winner in this game, I think Notre Dame just barely edges out Wisconsin with a slightly more functional offense (Wisconsin, especially against a secondary as tough as ND, will be very one-dimensional).  If the game was in Madison, I might pick Wisky (and I personally want the Domers to lose), but I think the neutral field helps ND stay in long enough to win.

Much as I am not in love with Wisconsin, seems to me that someone near and dear to all of us once said, "To hell with Notre Dame."  Nothing has changed except that Notre Dame stopped scheduling M each year.  On Wisconsin!  (this week anyway)

I know we dog on ND a lot, but its sort of absurd that UW/ND haven't played in 31 years.  But ND/NC St is a thing.

Damn i forgot that game is this weekend! Glad WI has a big game this weekend. As you all know there is a hell of a mental aspect in football and in most cases this would be a benefit (although it could be very slight) to the opposing team. 

Great opportunity for UM to hone things in with an even keel mindset to start big ten play at home and without a ton of emotions before going to madison. 

Don't get me wrong I'm not saying teams can't "get up" two weeks in a row but I also like analyzing the psychological aspects of this game...and it's a big component and one coaching greatly impacts. 

Big Noon Kickoff will probably be at the stadium. While I could see Gameday being somewhere cool like Navy Pier.