The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have finalized their 2021 football schedule, the school announced on Thursday.
Eleven of the 12 games for the Fighting Irish were previously announced. Today, Notre Dame added a home contest against the Cincinnati Bearcats for Oct. 2, 2021.
The game will mark Cincinnati’s first time playing in Notre Dame Stadium, dubbed the “House That Rockne Built.” The two schools previously met in South Bend on Oct. 20, 1900, and the Fighting Irish won that contest 58-0.
“We recognize the importance of our institution’s presence on the national stage and this matchup fits our profile,” Cincinnati Director of Athletics Mike Bohn said. “There are many ties between Cincinnati and Notre Dame constituents and we are excited to add these types of high-level games to our future football schedule that match the drive and competitiveness of the football program under Head Coach Luke Fickell.”
Notre Dame will open the 2021 season on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 6 with a road game at the Florida State Seminoles.
The Fighting Irish then host two consecutive games at Notre Dame Stadium, beginning with Toledo on Sept. 11. Purdue visits South Bend the following week on Sept. 18.
On Sept. 25, Notre Dame takes on Wisconsin at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. The game is the second of a neutral-site series that begins on Oct. 3, 2020 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Following the Cincinnati game on Oct. 2, Notre Dame travels to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech on Oct. 9 before their only off week of the season on Oct. 16.
Notre Dame then hosts three consecutive games in South Bend. USC visits on Oct. 23, followed by North Carolina on Oct. 30. A visit from Navy wraps up the three-game home-stand on Nov. 6.
The Fighting Irish close out the 2021 regular-season with two-of-three games on the road. Notre Dame visits Virginia on Nov. 13, hosts Georgia Tech on Nov. 20, and then travels to face Stanford on Nov. 27.
2021 Notre Dame Football Schedule
- 09/06 – at Florida State
- 09/11 – Toledo
- 09/18 – Purdue
- 09/25 – vs Wisconsin (in Chicago, IL)
- 10/02 – Cincinnati
- 10/09 – at Virginia Tech
- 10/23 – USC
- 10/30 – North Carolina
- 11/06 – Navy
- 11/13 – at Virginia
- 11/20 – Georgia Tech
- 11/27 – at Stanford
Future Notre Dame Football Schedules