Notre Dame may have finally found the right formula to win in the biggest games, at the most important moments

Notre Dame put together an up and down performance during their 41-13 victory over Wisconsin. They finally may have the right winning formula. Notre Dame football entered the 2026 college football season with championship expectations, and while their 41-13 victory over the Wisconsin Badgers in Lambeau Field on Sunday was a flawed but decisive win, this is still a team that showed they potentially have the formula to finally get over the hump. At some point this season, whether it is BYU, Miami, SMU, a combination, or hopefully a deep playoff run, this Fighting Irish team under head coach Marcus Freeman is going to be pressed into a close football game. In those types of outings, the winning team is typically the one that makes the biggest plays in the most important moments. Freeman, offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, and defensive coordinator Chris Ash have a lot of talent on this roster. For the first time in a while, it feels like the right combination to finally get back on top of the mountain. Here are the reasons you should be confident about this Notre Dame team when it's their time to play in those massive moments. It isn't always the rule, but typically when you have a great quarterback, it gives you a much better chance to win. Carr has shown in his now 13 starts as the quarterback for Notre Dame that he has the mentality and the confidence to be one of the better signal callers in college football. That competitiveness is something that has been talked about a ton. The 6-2, 215-pound passer is a good overall talent from a throwing perspective, but he just feels like the type of quarterback who will make the play in the biggest moment when it matters most. He's the leader of this team, and that's why there's so much confidence in South Bend right now. It has been several years since Notre Dame has had a kicker they felt consistently about. Blake Grupe and Spencer Shrader were solid, but the last two seasons have been an absolute disaster from a placekicking perspective. That's why the Fighting Irish decided to go out and get Spencer Porath in the transfer portal from Purdue. In his opening game, Porath made both of his field goal attempts, including a 52-yarder with ease, and also converted on all five of his extra points. The 11 points he was responsible for go much deeper than the stat sheet. The confidence created once that ball sailed through the uprights from 52 yards produced a jubilation in Notre Dame fandom that's hard to explain unless you've experienced it. When's the last time Notre Dame had a kicker that you felt was going to make the kick in the biggest moment? Porath feels like that guy. In those biggest moments when Notre Dame is on defense, it's going to come down to the secondary versus the opposing quarterback and who makes the big play at the big time. With All-American cornerback Leonard Moore leading the way, you feel great about the secondary right now for the Irish, even with the injury to Brauntae Johnson. There is a wealth of talent, including DJ McKinney, Adon Shuler, Christian Gray, Jayden Sanders, and Luke Talich. There is no deeper secondary in all of college football, and you feel confident that if pressed into a situation where a quarterback is trying to make a big play, Notre Dame's secondary can be the deciding factor. When Notre Dame was leading 13-10 at halftime and things weren't going great against Wisconsin, coach Freeman talked a lot about needing to establish the identity on the ground. The Irish did just that. After rushing for just 29 yards on 16 carries in the first half, they proceeded to run the ball at an extremely efficient clip, led by Aneyas Williams and Nolan James Jr. Even if these players aren't as dynamic as what we saw last season with Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, they are the tough, rugged style of runners who should get stronger down the stretch of a football game. That also includes hopefully more increased opportunities for Kedren Young. This style of rugged, tough run game implementation is the type that is able to eke out football games, especially when you're in control mode. That mentality, paired with CJ Carr's competitiveness, a reliable kicker, and the deepest secondary in the sport, gives Notre Dame the right combination of pieces to make a deep run this season.