Notre Dame Football’s 10 Best Future Opponents

Notre Dame built it’s entire football program by being willing to play pretty much anyone, anywhere, at any time.

Although that’s not entirely the case anymore as annual games with Navy and USC, and five dates with ACC opponents each year take up over half the schedule, Notre Dame still does a great job of scheduling big name opponents on the regular.

Last year saw Ohio State come to Notre Dame’s campus for just the second time since World War II. This year sees Notre Dame start the year at Texas A&M, a place its only visited once previously. Later in the year the marquee home game of the season will be when Florida State comes to South Bend in early-November.

What are the biggest regular season games for Notre Dame in the years to come though? Below are the ten best future opponents you’ll find on Notre Dame’s future schedules.

Of the 16 teams now in the SEC, Notre Dame has never played four of them (Auburn, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi State). That changes in late September of next year.

Notre Dame and Miami (FL) were supposed to play in 2024 but the Hurricanes miscounted their non-conference games.

Or so they claim.

The once annual rivals square off for the Megaphone Trophy for a pair of games. 2026 gets played in South Bend with the return trip to East Lansing coming in 2027.

The last time Notre Dame traveled to Tallahassee it walked out an overtime winner. Their trip there in 2026 could potentially be between a pair of top-five programs.

Granted Notre Dame has only played three games all-time at Clemson, but the Fighting Irish haven’t won in Death Valley since 1977.

Notre Dame opens the 2024 season in primetime at the iconic Kyle Field before the it welcomes Texas A&M to South Bend in early-September 2025. This marks just the second ever home-and-home series between Notre Dame and Texas A&M.

I have loved Camp Randall when I’ve been there and think college football is significantly better when played on college campuses but getting to open the 2026 season at Lambeau Field against Luke Fickell and Wisconsin is pretty special.

Notre Dame and Florida have only met in the 1992 Sugar Bowl all-time. Florida comes north to South Bend in November of 2031 while Notre Dame takes on Florida in the heat in early-September of 2032.

You can’t tell the history of college football before quickly getting to Notre Dame and Michigan.

You can’t tell the story of Notre Dame and Michigan without quickly getting to the two being bitter at each other for seemingly as long as they’ve been playing football together.

Is there a single possible bigger way to start the 2029 college football season than by having Alabama travel to take on Notre Dame? The Irish make the return trip to Tuscaloosa in mid-September of 2030.

Notre Dame Defense to be Among Nation’s Best Again in 2024

The 10 Teams Notre Dame Football has Beat the Most All-Time