One of the casualties of the Big Ten’s decision this week involved Notre Dame and Wisconsin. Both schools, though, are hopeful their unique venue will be a go for the future.
In 2017, it was announced that Notre Dame and Wisconsin had agreed to a home-and-home series, but with a neutral-field twist. The 2020 game was scheduled to be a “home” game for the Fighting Irish in primetime at Lambeau Field. The 2021 would see the Badgers “hosting” the football independent at Soldier Field.
Thursday, however, the Big Ten announced that, because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the league will be going to a conference-only schedule for 2020. That, of course, means that the Notre Dame-Wisconsin game at the home of the Green Bay Packers has been nixed.
In statements following the B1G announcement, each athletic director was hopeful for a future matchup on the Frozen Tundra.
“We all share in the disappointment about that and are exploring options to reschedule those games,” Wisconsin’s Barry Alvarez said in his statement. “We look forward to playing Notre Dame in 2021 at Soldier Field in Chicago, and both programs are committed to rescheduling the game at Lambeau.”
”We look forward to playing Wisconsin at Soldier Field in 2021 and Barry and I are committed to scheduling a game at Lambeau Field in the future,” Alvarez’s counterpart, Jack Swarbrick, said in his.
Wisconsin has played previously at the fabled NFL stadium. In 2016, UW knocked off LSU 16-14 at Lambeau.
”The University of Notre Dame has informed the Packers that the game scheduled for Oct. 3 at Lambeau Field has been canceled due to the pandemic and the Big Ten Conference reducing their schedule to conference-only games,” the NFL club said in a statement. “While we are disappointed with the game’s cancellation, we completely understand and respect the decision.
“We are very hopeful to reschedule the game in the future. The Packers are proud to host such games at Lambeau Field and, with the community, experience the incredible atmosphere surrounding college football.
“We also are proud to be a part of Greater Green Bay’s enthusiastic reception of both schools and their fans for an exciting weekend of football and related activities. We appreciate the economic impact it brings to our community and we look forward to hosting future college football games at Lambeau Field.