Notre Dame football: 12 teams Irish should soon play
A quick look at Notre Dame‘s schedule puts it among the best in college football almost annually. With USC always on it and yearly bouts against the nation’s best teams (Clemson and Ohio State both this year to come), if you play football at Notre Dame you’ll be playing in marquee match-ups on the regular.
Who are the teams you wish you’d see Notre Dame play again (or for the first) time again, though?
I came up with the 12 teams I’d most like to see Notre Dame renew games against but there were two simple stipulations:
The opponent doesn’t currently appear on a Notre Dame future schedule
Notre Dame hasn’t played this opponent since at least 2009
So here are the 12 teams I’d most like to see Notre Dame play under those guidelines…
SMU
Some of the opponents you’ll see on this list have long histories against Notre Dame and SMU is one of those. The Irish and Mustangs have met 13 times all-time, the 21st most of any Notre Dame opponent ever.
Personally, I’m all about the history of college football and whether you want to admit it or not, you can’t tell the story of this great game without SMU and the Pony Express. They received the rawest of deals from the NCAA when the “death penalty” was handed out and never returned to their form as a national power. However, they’ve turned back into one of the nation’s best Group of Five programs annually for quite some time now.
Shamrock Series game in Dallas again, anyone?
Iowa
Notre Dame has played just 14 teams more frequently than they’ve played Iowa over the years. However, none of the 24 meetings all-time between the programs have taken place since Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. A home-and-home with the Hawkeyes would add to a series the Irish lead 13-8-3 all-time.
Hawaii
I’m sure you’re seeing this and wondering why I put Hawaii on the list. Sometimes you have to get creative while having a reason and that’s how this idea came to be.
It started in my mind at least with USC’s move to the Big Ten. That means that trips to the Midwest in November will become regular and that theoretically, the idea of Notre Dame hosting USC to end a regular season shouldn’t be out of question.
If USC won’t go to Notre Dame to close the year then why not do some rearranging every other year? Move the Stanford game that ends the regular season in odd-year seasons and close those years with a trip to Hawaii. It would essentially be a bowl game before the postseason and a unique recruiting tool.
Nebraska
Before USC came into Notre Dame’s picture it was Nebraska who was an annual rival of the Irish. With Matt Rhule taking over a dormant Cornhuskers program it’s easy to believe they’ll be back to being a top-20 college program in a couple of years. What better time to renew this old rivalry? The two have met 16 times all-time but just three since Dwight Eisenhower took office.
Auburn
Of all the teams in the SEC, Notre Dame is yet to play four of them. Auburn, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Mississippi State. With Arkansas on the schedule in coming years that list will soon be down to three with the proud Tigers easily being the biggest of those programs.
Washington
What is the future of the Pac 12 after UCLA and USC move to the Big Ten in 2024? It’s a safe bet that Washington will be a force out west as they have been historically. Notre Dame and the Huskies have met eight times ever with four of those games coming between 2004 and 2009. The Irish have taken all eight previous contests.
Colorado
Love him or despise him, Deion Sanders aka Coach Prime has generated more interest for Colorado football in the last three months than they had generated over the previous combined 15-plus years. Talent is certainly on the rise as wins won’t be far behind. From 1983-1994 these two met five times, three of which came in bowl games. Notre Dame holds a 3-2 lead overall but Colorado took 2/3 bowl meetings.
Tennessee
They may have struggled a bit down the stretch last year as road losses to Georgia and South Carolina stung their impressive start but Tennessee is back to being one college football’s best. The Irish and Vols played some absolute classics between 1978 and 2005 with both teams taking four of eight contests. Kids born the year these two last met however will be graduating high school this spring which means it’s time to get another home-and-home between Notre Dame and Neyland Stadiums.
TCU
Which Texas college football program has been the most consistently good the last 15 years? It’s not the one that wears burnt orange, that’s for sure. TCU is fresh off a national championship game appearance and should be sitting pretty for years to come in the Big 12. The only previous meeting between Notre Dame and TCU was a 21-0 Irish victory in 1972. Another one-off could make for a perfect Shamrock Series game, especially as Notre Dame continues to improve their standing in the state of Texas.
Penn State
Notre Dame and Penn State had nothing short of a stellar rivalry before the Nittany Lions sold out on independence for a spot as the Big Ten’s 11th team. The two have met 19 times altogether which each side taking nine wins while one game resulted in a tie. The two have met just twice since the epic Snow Bowl game put a cap on the series back in 1992. With all the recruits and prestige that comes with both squads the college football world would be better with them meeting again.
Oregon
The last time Notre Dame and Oregon met in football was 1982. Just how long ago was that meeting? That was the same year Nike debuted their Air Force 1 shoe. Let’s just say things have changed in a big way since then and a home-and-home between Notre Dame Stadium and Autzen Stadium would offer a perfect clash of cultures.
LSU
Did you really think for a second that anyone else could possibly be considered for the top spot? Since the second Brian Kelly left Tobias Merriweather’s living room and accepted the LSU job, fans of both Notre Dame and LSU have craved this meeting. Now its almost impossible to think that a deal could get done in time for a game to be played when Kelly is still coaching LSU, but man alive what a sight to behold that would be if it were to ever happen.
Notre Dame and LSU have met in three bowl games since 2006 but haven’t met in the regular season since 1997-98.
