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Notre Dame football has a new rivalry, although it’s one that’s been building for the past decade.
On Tuesday, Notre Dame and Clemson announced a 12-game home-and-home series beginning in 2027 and running through the 2038 season. Considering the two schools were already scheduled to play five times during that window, the announcement means seven additional games between the Irish and Tigers, which represents a scheduling counterweight for both programs as the Big Ten and SEC discuss an intra-conference scheduling agreement and the SEC considers moving to a nine-game conference schedule.
Those potential changes in the 12-team College Football Playoff world meant Notre Dame and Clemson prioritized more marquee matchups, or at least a re-imagination of how the ACC’s five-game agreement with Notre Dame was adjudicated. The Clemson games will all count toward the five-games-per-year average for Notre Dame with the ACC, which means smaller brands within the league may see the Irish less.
The tangible definition of big game x1⃣2⃣
Notre Dame. Clemson. 2027-2038.#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/Z1fqyDrWfE
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) May 6, 2025
“We strive to consistently create a football schedule that positions us for success in the College Football Playoff, and that goal requires us to form historic partnerships like this one with Clemson,” Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua said. “This rivalry has already produced some of the most memorable moments in recent college football history, and our fans deserve these matchups to continue to make those indelible memories.”
The ACC’s scheduling adjustment with Notre Dame is expected to include more frequent games with Florida State and Miami, as well. When the Irish initially signed with the ACC entering the 2014 season, one of the stipulations was Notre Dame wouldn’t play Clemson, Miami and Florida State in the same season.
Now, Notre Dame has put itself in position to potentially play Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, USC and Texas all in the 2029 season.
With the exception of the 2020 season altered by COVID-19 when Notre Dame football joined the ACC and played Clemson twice and Florida State once, the Irish have never played more than one of Clemson, Florida State or Miami in the same season.
Notre Dame’s first game against Clemson as part of the ACC agreement was the “Bring Your Own Guts” game in 2015. The series also included the Irish knocking off the No. 1 Tigers during the 2020 season, which ended in a field storming. Clemson has won two national championships and made the CFP seven times since 2015. Notre Dame has made the CFP three times during that span, including a blowout loss to eventual national champion Clemson in the semifinals in 2018.
While the Notre Dame-Clemson series is good for television — Notre Dame re-signed with NBC in 2023 on a lucrative extension that helped assure its independence — it’s less clear what these games will mean for CFP inclusion. Notre Dame made the CFP last season without a marquee win, although Texas A&M appeared to be one at the time. Clemson earned a bid by winning the ACC title.
So while the brand-name games are good for eyeballs — the ACC’s new revenue sharing agreement is also expected to pay more to teams who get better ratings — it’s not clear the CFP committee will reward scheduling intent over straight wins and losses.
“Even in just the last decade, matchups between Clemson and Notre Dame have produced incredibly memorable moments and games,” said Clemson athletic director Graham Neff. “We have immense excitement for the creation of this 12-year series between these two premier programs, as we know these will be must-see matchups for fans at Memorial Stadium and Notre Dame Stadium as well as television audiences nationwide.”
But in the end, maybe the scheduling announcement isn’t entirely about the CFP. In an era of college football when so much focus is on the postseason, the series between Notre Dame and Clemson is a win for everything that comes before it.
(Photo of Dabo Swinney and Marcus Freeman: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
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