Much has been made of Notre Dame’s 2026 football schedule, and the Irish have received some very public media and fan tongue lashings over the perceived strength of the 12 game slate (or lack there of). The schedule is what it is, and inside this new environment of the college football world — I’m not too sure it matters much.
Fast forward to 2027 and 2028, and the Irish just about have things wrapped up. The 2027 schedule is full with 12 games, and 2028 has 11 games scheduled with one more to go.
Notre Dame extended the series with the Stanford Cardinal for 2027 and 2028 and added the MAC’s Kent State Golden Flashes to the 2027 slate.
Notre Dame Football Announces Future Matchups
SOUTH BEND, IN – The University of Notre Dame has announced three future matchups for the 2027 and 2028 seasons. Notre Dame and Stanford University have agreed to extend the Legends Trophy Rivalry for the 2027 and 2028 seasons. The 2027 schedule also sees the Irish host a first-time opponent in Kent State, the alma mater of the late legendary Fighting Irish head coach Lou Holtz, who passed away in March.
Legends Trophy Rivalry Extended
In 2027, the tradition of the Irish ending the season in California will resume as Notre Dame will play the Cardinal in Stanford Stadium on November 27, 2027. Stanford will visit Notre Dame Stadium on October 14, 2028.
These will be the 41st and 42nd meetings between Notre Dame and Stanford.
Notre Dame leads the overall series 25-14-0. Excluding the 2020 COVID season, the Irish and Cardinal have met every season since 1998.
The first meeting took place in 1924 at the Rose Bowl as Notre Dame defeated Stanford 27-10. That matchup inspired The Legends Trophy, which was named in honor of the two coaches from that 1924 contest – Knute Rockne for the Irish and Pop Warner for the Cardinal.
The Irish have won the last three meetings against Stanford, including a 42-20 triumph in 2025. That victory enabled Notre Dame to end the 2025 season with a 10-game win streak.
Hosting the Golden Flashes
The game against Kent State at Notre Dame Stadium on October 2, 2027 will be the 90th program of the current 138 FBS teams that the Irish have faced in their history. This is the fourth most in College Football history behind only Georgia (97), Ohio State (96) and Michigan (95). The matchup pins the Irish against the alma mater of late legendary Irish head coach Lou Holtz. Holtz played linebacker for the Golden Flashes in 1957 and graduated in 1959 with a degree in history from Kent State.
Kent State has a few unique connections to Notre Dame Football. Dick Corbett Head Football Coach Marcus Freeman was the linebackers coach at Kent State from 2011-2012. There have been three former Notre Dame football assistant coaches who served as head coaches for the Golden Flashes. Ed Chlebek, Notre Dame quarterbacks coach in 1975, led Kent State from 1981-82. Pete Cordelli, who served on the Irish coaching staff from 1986-90 was the head coach at Kent State from 1991-93. Finally, Dean Pees, the head coach at KSU from 1998-2003 was the Notre Dame defensive backs coach in 1994.
Notre Dame is 11-1 against current teams from the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The Irish’s last contest against a MAC opponent came against Miami University on September 21, 2024, when Notre Dame defeated the Redhawks 28-3.
Including the upcoming game against the Golden Flashes, the Irish will have played nine out of the current 12 MAC member institutions.
