When Notre Dame’s upcoming addition to the Atlantic Coast Conference was announced earlier this month, one question that crossed many people’s minds was how this new pseudo-independence would affect the football schedule. With five games a year now locked into matchups against ACC opponents, only seven spots will remain for the traditional Irish competition.
Pittsburgh and Boston College will become part of the three year rotation through the ACC, so while they will no longer be on the schedule every year, they remain a regular matchup. That leaves Navy, Purdue, Michigan State, Michigan, Stanford, and USC as contenders for the remaining seven spots. Throw in the newly independent BYU who recently signed an agreement for six games against Notre Dame between 2012 and 2020 and it is more like seven teams. One would also have to imagine that Notre Dame will continue to set aside one game a year for the Shamrock Series, pitting Notre Dame against a random opponent at a neutral site, because of the opportunity it affords to play all around the country. This final tally leaves seven teams for six spots.
Certainly it would be impossible to schedule six of these traditional foes let alone five or four. Therefore, the question becomes which of these teams will remain and which will get the axe. It has already been widely reported that Notre Dame wishes to keep Navy, USC, and Stanford on the schedule. The game with USC is often called the greatest intersectional rivalry in college football and will be in its 84th edition this year. Keeping Stanford ensures that Notre Dame will play at least one game each year in California and allows for an affiliation with one the top academic institutions in the country. Finally, Navy remains as a show of gratitude for helping to keep Notre Dame alive during World War II when they placed a V-12 training program on campus.
Keeping up with the math, four teams now remain for three spots. The fact that three of these teams hail from the Big Ten would lead one to believe that at least a few of geographically neighboring rivalries are likely to be no more. Just this past Tuesday it was reported that Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick exercised a 3-year out in the agreement with Michigan, meaning the last scheduled game between the two winningest programs in college football will take place in 2014. While in his letter to Michigan Athletic Director Dave Brandon, Swarbrick expressed a desire to continue the rivalry at some in the future, it appears as if the Wolverines will be the first scheduling casualty after the agreement with the ACC.
Even though many college football fans will be sad to watch this rivalry end, Michigan is a logical first departure due to its contentious relationship with Notre Dame throughout the years. Michigan athletic director Fielding Yost famously blackballed the Catholic school from joining the Big Ten in the 1920s and the rivalry as we currently know did not begin in earnest until 1978 after an over thirty year hiatus.
According to the AP, Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis stated earlier this month that he does not expect Notre Dame’s ACC affiliation to affect their series. With a scheduling agreement in place through the 2031 season, Michigan State appears to be the one Big Ten school most likely to remain on the Irish schedule. Having been played more consistently throughout the years than the series with Michigan, the series with the Spartans boasts one of the most well-known games in college football history. In the 1966 matchup featuring both the number one and two ranked teams in the country, Ara Parseghian elected to play for a 10-10 tie instead of going for the win and Notre Dame ultimately won the National Championship. Michigan State will most likely remain on the schedule.
As for the series with Purdue and BYU, key decisions will have to be made in the near future. While BYU presents a matchup with another independent, Notre Dame and Purdue have played continuously since 1946, making it highly likely the Boilermakers remain on the schedule in some capacity.
Dan McGeever is senior studying civil engineering, and a true hero! Contact him at dmcgeeve@nd.edu.