The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will open the 2027 season at home against the Kent State Golden Flashes, FBSchedules.com has learned.
Notre Dame was originally scheduled to host Kent State on October 2, 2027, a date first announced in May. However, according to a contract amendment obtained from Kent State University through a state open records request, the game has been moved to August 28, 2027, and will be played at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind.
The schedule change aligns with the NCAA’s June decision to adopt a uniform 14-week regular season beginning in 2027. Under the new format, most FBS programs will be permitted to begin their seasons during what is currently known as Week Zero, the weekend before Labor Day weekend, which will become the sport’s standard Week 1.
According to the original game contract, Notre Dame will pay Kent State a $1.3 million guarantee to play the contest. The matchup will mark the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
Following the season opener against Kent State, Notre Dame is currently scheduled to host Purdue on September 4. Other home opponents in 2027 include Auburn (Sept. 25), Virginia Tech (Nov. 6), Navy (Nov. 20), and BYU, with the date for that contest yet to be announced.
The Fighting Irish are also slated to travel to Michigan State (Sept. 18), Wake Forest (Oct. 9 in Charlotte, N.C.), Clemson (Oct. 30), and Stanford (Nov. 27). Road games against Duke and Virginia remain scheduled, though dates for those contests have not yet been announced.
Kent State, meanwhile, currently has only the Notre Dame game on its 2027 schedule. The Golden Flashes still have three non-conference openings to fill in addition to their eight Mid-American Conference opponents.
Unless NBC would be satisfied with PU@ND as their Labor Day Sunday night game, I’ve got to think that they’ll try to make BYU@ND be on that night instead.
NBC could take a Big 10 game if they want a game on that night
Bill:
1. Only if there’s a 4th decent B10-owned game that weekend. Given how weak B10 OOC slates have been recently, I find that to be very doubtful.
2. Only if a B10 team is willing to move their game that weekend to Sunday. The B10 powers that have to fill gigantic stadiums (OSU, Michigan, PSU, and probably USC) almost definitely would say “NO WAY IN H*LL”.
another pathetic schedule for Notre Dame in 2027….BYU is likely to be the only ranked team they play all season
Auburn just beat UGA in Athens. But sure, go ahead and tell us how awful they are.