GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — College football is back, and one Notre Dame fan has been planning for this weekend for years — reserving an entire inn to make sure his group had a place to stay for the historic Badgers-Irish Lambeau Field game.
On Sunday, the Wisconsin Badgers take on the No. 4 AP-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish in their first-ever matchup at Lambeau Field. On Saturday, fans from both sides gathered in Green Bay for the Badger Bash North celebration.
Mike Roisum grew up in Madison then attended Notre Dame. His connection to Green Bay dates back to 2009, when he and his friends planned to attend Brett Favre's return game against the Packers — only to have their lodging fall through at the last minute.
"I was frantically calling around and got laughed at by a lot of hotels, but it turned out St. Brendan's had a room," Roisum said.
The group intended to return, and when the Badgers-Irish Lambeau matchup was first announced for 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic canceled that game.
"When they re-announced the 2026 game, I called Saint Brendan's back, I think three years ago, and reserved every room in the hotel," Roisum said.
WATCH THE FULL BROADCAST STORY HERE:
This weekend, 67 people traveled from coast to coast to fill all 28 rooms at Saint Brendan's Inn, costing around $21,000. Roisum estimates the crowd at the inn breaks down roughly 70/30 in favor of Irish fans over Badger fans — including his Badger fan brother-in-law, Peter Blochowicz.
"I'm in enemy territory, unfortunately, in my own state today," Blochowicz said.
Beyond Sunday's game, fans had the chance to take in the Badger Bash North festivities on Saturday, which included a parade, a UW Marching Band performance, fireworks and more.
For Roisum, the weekend is about more than football.
"This is a priceless event. This is something that we'll cherish and take with us for all of our time," Roisum said.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Sunday, and you can watch the game on NBC 26. Historically, the two programs have met 17 times, with Notre Dame leading the all-time series with 9 wins, 6 losses, and 2 ties.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
