The Alabama Crimson Tide and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have scheduled a home-and-home football series for 2028 and 2029, both schools announced on Thursday.
“This series speaks to Notre Dame’s commitment to play against the best that college football has to offer,” said Notre Dame vice president and James E. Rohr director of athletics Jack Swarbrick. “With the addition of Alabama, 12 different programs that have participated in New Year’s Six bowl games since the inception of the College Football Playoff in 2014-15 have appeared or will appear on Notre Dame’s schedule, including Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Florida State, Ohio State and Michigan State — all of which have earned a berth to the CFP semifinals. College football and our fans benefit when the sport’s best programs play each other. We are thrilled to join Alabama in making sure that continues to happen.”
In the first game of the series, Notre Dame will host Alabama at Notre Dame Stadium on Sept. 2, 2028. The Crimson Tide will then play host to the Fighting Irish at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa on Sept. 1, 2029.
“It doesn’t get more tradition-rich than Alabama and Notre Dame when it comes to college football,” Alabama Director of Athletics Greg Byrne said. “What a great opportunity this is for our program and for our fans to kick off the 2028 and 2029 seasons.”
Alabama and Notre Dame first met in 1973 and the two schools have played seven times overall. The Crimson Tide won the last meeting 42-14 in the BCS National Championship Game to conclude the 2012 season. However, the Fighting Irish still hold a 5-2 edge in the series.
“We are excited to be able to add a home-and-home series with a team like Notre Dame,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. “Alabama and Notre Dame represent two of the most storied programs in college football history. What a great opportunity for our team and our fans to be able to witness these teams play in two of the sport’s most iconic venues in Tuscaloosa and South Bend.”
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So, where did all the whiners go that mock SEC scheduling?
Never to fear! They're near!
This is A+ from both sides, ten years in the making.
Finally! .. of course Nick Saban will either be long retired or 77 years old when the series is played.
It genuinely is the first year that works though. ND has a road opening in 2021 but Alabama has Miami scheduled for that year. ND’s next available date is the 2029 date that got this series, while playing at ND in 2028 just gets it here a little sooner.
This is lining up as Alabama's first Power 5 true road game since 2011. 'Bama must think ND will be an FCS school by '28-29.
Congrats to both Schools!!!! Both being traditional football powers this is the type of match-up I as a College Football Fan would like to see more often. Even if it's not Bama vs. South Bend State, love to see the match-ups amongst the Power Conferences. Thanks to both Bama and South Bend State in making this happen. (sorry about the usage of South Bend State, but grew not being allowed to say or use the ND school name, so South Bend State has been used in my home for decades)
@David, congrats on one team scheduling a home and home a decade away with what contains what I'm sure is a pretty easy out clause
Bout time. Now fill the years in between now and this series with power 5 home and homes and I'll be impressed. Seriously, if VaTech can do it through 2030, Alabama should have no problem
Now give us the Texas/Bama series that was rumored to being discussed at the same time. My guess would be 2025 and 2026 if it was going to happen since Texas has a gap between its first and second game in the Michigan series and Bama's schedule is currently blank those years.
As for all the people who mock SEC scheduling.. hey, this is a first, so good for Bama. I'll give credit where credit is due. This is a nice scheduling announcement. A home/home with Texas would be as well. But acting like this is anything other than breaking from their norm is disingenuous.
Aaaaaaand, even so, it will be interesting to see the way Bama fills out the rest of this schedule. Even with breaking out of their "no home/home" rule, the pattern suggests the other 3 games will be 1 FCS team and 2 "group of 5" teams. Still a great step forward, but not the same as, say, playing 9 conference games, playing 1 marquee game, playing 1 other power-5 game (also in a home/home), and playing one group of 5 game (with only 1 FCS game in decades) like Texas has been doing recently.
If Bama makes a pattern of this, it will help improve the image of SEC scheduling... and it should just make for more entertaining games for the home fans of both teams.
Was that a FCS team that Bama beat in winning the National Championship?