Under the lights of Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis., the No. 4-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish looked to open their season with a win over the Wisconsin Badgers on Sunday night. But there were a couple of calls that didn’t go the Badgers’ way that raised a few eyebrows.
Both rulings favored Notre Dame and helped the Fighting Irish get into the end zone. Since those calls did not go Wisconsin’s way, college football fans were pretty vocal in their criticism of the turn of events, directing much of their anger toward Notre Dame.
CFB Fans Roast Notre Dame Over Controversial Calls
One fan clearly was not pleased with how Notre Dame received the benefit of the doubt on those two calls.
The fan posted on X, “Wisconsin screwed on 2 huge calls. Notre Dame recovered the ball out of bounds, no reversal. Then a ridiculous personal foul call on what would have been 3rd and long. Gift TD to Notre Dame; now a very hard path for the Badgers to win. That’s football.”
Wisconsin screwed on 2 huge calls. Notre Dame recovered the ball out of bounds, no reversal. Then a ridiculous personal foul call on what would have been 3rd and long. Gift td to Notre Dame now very hard path for Badgers to win. That’s football
— BudWiserSports (@BudWiserSports) September 7, 2026
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman probably didn’t mind those calls going in his team’s favor. Freeman, though, needs more than those calls to carry Notre Dame to the College Football Playoff this season.
PREDICT THE CFB SEASON: PFN’s Free CFB Playoff Predictor
One fan shared that he was disgusted by what he was witnessing in college football. The fan posted online, “The fix is on. Notre Dame for the win no matter what. So disgusted with college football.”
Another fan decided to look into what was happening at Lambeau Field and concluded it was all rigged. “Congrats to Notre Dame for having games rigged for you to win. Pathetic [expletive].”
Congrats to Notre Dame for having games rigged for you to win. Pathetic af.
— JKul23 (@JKul23) September 7, 2026
One influencer seemed to be speaking sarcastically when looking at how the calls went Notre Dame’s way. The influencer wrote, “Wow. I’m stunned Notre Dame is getting favorable calls. I’ve never ever seen this happen.”
START PREPARING: PFN’s Free College Fantasy Simulator
Another used the name of a sports betting platform to question the referees calling the Notre Dame-Wisconsin clash. “Need to check these Notre Dame-Wisconsin refs, FanDuel,” they wrote.
Another podcast host also noted how the referees were making calls on the field. The host posted online, “I’m no Badger fan — I’m the opposite — but these refs are jobbing Wisconsin.”
A podcast host had some pointed words about the officials and Notre Dame, too. The host wrote online, “Notre Dame doesn’t need the officials in their back pocket.”
Notre Dame doesn’t need the officials in their back pocket.
— Jake Hatch (Yawk) – Fortis Valore et Armis (@JakeHatch) September 7, 2026
With much of the second quarter left, Wisconsin and Notre Dame were tied at 10-10. Later on, Notre Dame moved back ahead 13-10 on a 26-yard field goal with 8:57 left in the second quarter.
Wisconsin fans and, well, college football fans hope that the calls are fair and square until the final whistle.
