Notre dame-clemson rivalry heats up with 12-game series
Two storied programs with national success and a history of memorable matchups, Notre Dame and Clemson, have agreed to a 12-game home-and-home contract to meet on the gridiron each season between 2027 and 2038. The two schools were already scheduled to meet in 2027 (at Clemson), 2028 (at Notre Dame), 2031 (at Clemson), 2034 (at Notre Dame) and 2037 (at Clemson) per the ACC’s schedule contract with Notre Dame. The agreement marks Notre Dame’s first new series of at least 12 games the program has started since 2002.
“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,” said Notre Dame Vice President and James E. Rohr Director of Athletics Pete Bevacqua. “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 two programs have met on eight prior occasions, including twice in the postseason. One of these postseason meetings was the 2020 ACC Championship, the only time Notre Dame Football has played in a conference.
The all-time series has a 5-3 Clemson record. At least one of the teams has been ranked in the top 15 in the nation entering all eight previous meetings, and five times both teams have been ranked entering the game, including three meetings of top five teams between 2018-20. The two schools have met four times in the regular season since 2015. The schools are 2-2 in those meetings with the home team winning each.
Notre Dame and Clemson have developed a bit of a football rivalry over the last decade, and that rivalry just jumped up as the Fighting Irish and Tigers announced a new 12-year scheduling agreement.
According to ESPN, the deal will start in 2027 and go through the 2038 season. There were already four games scheduled during this period, but now the budding rivalry becomes an annual occurrence.
The series could be of great benefit to the ACC as it transitions into an era where teams get rewarded with more money for higher TV ratings. This would also help Clemson, who has been in talks with the ACC to receive a greater share of revenue as the premier program in the conference. Playing Notre Dame on an annual basis gives the Tigers more leverage in those conversations. The Irish will gain another rivalry that over time could morph into what other rivalries like Michigan, Miami, and USC have been. USC head coach Lincoln Riley has hinted at ending the ND-USC rivalry in an effort to lessen the Trojans’ strength of schedule with nine conference games in the Big Ten.
ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips says the extra Clemson games not previously scheduled will not count towards Notre Dame's five-game commitment to the ACC.
Take 2036, for example: Notre Dame had Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Florida State., Pitt and North Carolina rotating in as its ACC opponents. The year 2036 may be a lifetime away in college football the way things have changed recently, but it would see Notre Dame face those teams in addition to Clemson on the schedule.