College Football Powers Notre Dame and Clemson to Play Annually for 12 Years

The Fighting Irish and the Tigers built a rivalry over the past decade, and it will continue.

Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison (20) celebrates after a third quarter interception against the Clemson Tigers at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind., on Nov. 5, 2022. Matt Cashore/USA Today Sports via Field Level Media

Notre Dame versus Clemson has become one of the bigger nonconference rivalries in college football, and the two will play annually for the next 12 years.

The two college football powers announced the agreement on Tuesday amid a nearly two-year drought in their rivalry. Notre Dame and Clemson last played each other in 2023, when the Tigers won 31–23.

“Even in just the last decade, matchups between Clemson and Notre Dame have produced incredibly memorable moments and games,” Clemson athletic director Graham Neff said in a statement on Tuesday. “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.”

Overall, Clemson has a 5–3 edge in the all-time series, which will resume in 2027 and go through 2038 with the new deal. That’s unless the two meet in the College Football Playoff, which could happen again.

“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 Vice President and James E. Rohr Director of Athletics Pete Bevacqua said in a statement. “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 met in 2018 in the old four-team playoff when the Tigers beat the Fighting Irish 30–3 in the Cotton Bowl. Both teams made last year’s 12-team College Football Playoff. In addition, the Tigers have won two national titles since 2016 amid three overall, and the Irish have one of the most storied programs in the sport with 11 national championships overall.

“This locks in a huge rivalry for us with a nonconference opponent that’s going to be strong year in and year out,” Neff said. “The association of national brands like Clemson and Notre Dame create a great fan experience, strong viewership and value on that is obviously a fundamental component.”

Not even COVID-19 stunted the fan experience in 2020 when Notre Dame upset Clemson 47–40 in South Bend, Indiana, as many of the 11,011 fans stormed the field. As a temporary member of the ACC that year, the Irish met the Tigers again in the conference championship game and lost 34–10.

Most of the Notre Dame-Clemson marquee matchups have occurred since 2015, but the teams met twice in the 1970s. Notre Dame beat Clemson 21–17 in 1977, and the Tigers beat the Irish 16–10 in 1979.

While those two early matchups came nearly 40 years before the revival of the series, those games were noteworthy in the overall history of college football. Former Notre Dame quarterback and Hall of Famer Joe Montana led a comeback from 17–7 behind in 1977, and it was his second comeback of that season as his legend developed. The second time around, Clemson came into South Bend and stunned the Irish, which had won the national title two seasons earlier.

After a 35-year hiatus, Notre Dame and Clemson met in 2015 when the Tigers edged the Irish 24–22 on a rain-soaked day. Clemson went on to make the College Football Playoff, and that loss helped thwart the Irish’s playoff hopes. It became the first of six games between the two powers in the past decade.