By Mark Puleo, Manny Navarro and Pete Sampson
Few institutions are more sacred in college football than rivalry games. But the history of never-ending schedule conflicts may be just as classic, and the rekindling of the Notre Dame-Miami rivalry game in 2024 was another casualty.
Imagine that game now after No. 19 Miami’s big win versus Florida and No. 7 Notre Dame’s triumph against No. 20 Texas A&M on Saturday.
The teams were scheduled in 2024 for the first time since 2017 to kickstart a series over the next 13 years. But in a college landscape that requires games to be scheduled out as far out as 2037, there is plenty that can go awry, particularly in this era of constant conference realignment. Now the rivalry will restart in 2025 in Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The 2024 game, which was scheduled to be played in South Bend, was pushed to 2026.
As of now, the teams are also scheduled to play in 2028, 2031, 2032, 2034 and 2037.
And for those looking at Notre Dame’s 2024 schedule and still seeing Miami’s name on there, don’t be confused: That’s Miami (Ohio).
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Why was the 2024 game delayed?
An overcrowded nonconference schedule for Miami.
The decision to delay the 2024 game was made in 2023 when a readjusted Miami schedule left the Hurricanes with five nonconference games slated for four slots in 2024, including Saturday’s 41-17 win at Florida.
And that’s a letdown for football fans, as the rivalry would have likely had a top-10 matchup with a huge audience tuning in. — Manny Navarro, Miami beat writer
How it impacted the rest of Notre Dame’s schedule
Losing Miami from Notre Dame’s home schedule was viewed as a killer for the slate in terms of selling tickets because it left the Irish with home games of Northern Illinois, Louisville, Miami (of Ohio). Stanford, Florida State and Virginia. While Florida State is a marquee game, the Seminoles aren’t what they were a year ago. To fill the Miami hole, Notre Dame scheduled a neutral site game at Yankee Stadium against Army as a historical nod to 100 years of the Four Horsemen.
The result leaves Notre Dame with just eight Power 4 conference opponents this season. It’s the only power conference program with less than nine. Will that matter when it comes to seeding for the College Football Playoff? After winning at Texas A&M, the Irish have the inside track on making it. Going 12-0 would almost certainly mean the No. 5 seed, but Irish don’t have a lot of margin for error with this schedule. Notre Dame will make the field at 11-1, but a 10-2 Irish might be sweating their bid.
The goal for Marcus Freeman’s program has been clear since the 12-team CFP expansion: Not just make the field, but host in the first round. The schedule may make that difficult, only because it’s too easy without Miami.
But hey, at-large Notre Dame vs. ACC champion Miami in the quarterfinals would be must-watch television. — Pete Sampson, Notre Dame beat writer
History of the rivalry
The storied programs have met 26 times dating back to 1955 and the rivalry took on a new identity — and nickname — in 1988 when the team’s clashed in the 1988 regular season. There, the infamous game known as the “Catholics vs. Convicts” was birthed, with the No. 4 Fighting Irish taking down the No. 1 Hurricanes. The win, which featured a controversial ending, propelled Notre Dame to a national championship.
The next year, Miami avenged the loss by snapping Notre Dame’s 23-game winning streak. It would mark the only loss of Notre Dame’s season, and Miami went on to win the national championship.
The annual rivalry ended after 1990, when the Irish crushed the Hurricanes’ back-to-back title hopes with a 29-20 win in South Bend. Notre Dame dropped Miami from its schedule due to the intense rivalry. Since then, the teams have played only four times: In 2010, 2012, 2016 and 2017.
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(Photo: Bill Smith / Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
