If you’ve been a Notre Dame football fan for the past 20 years, you obviously understand the pattern and the agreement that Notre Dame has in regards to playing football games in prime time. Outside of Notre Dame’s commitment and agreement with NBC for its home night games, there is a better than good chance that just about any away game can be schedule for prime time as well.
Some years are much different than others — but we should pretty much rely on the fact that Notre Dame is probably going to
play at least 5 night games during the regular season. On Thursday, Notre Dame released its broadcast times for its home slate which also includes the Shamrock Series Game at Lambeau Field.
Notre Dame and NBC Announce Game Times for 2026 Shamrock Series and Home Schedule
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Notre Dame Football has announced game times and broadcast information for its 2026 Shamrock Series presented by Credit Union 1 and home schedule, which includes home primetime matchups against Michigan State, Miami FL and SMU.
The Irish will serve as the home team and host for the Shamrock Series presented by Credit Union 1 and will also host six opponents at Notre Dame Stadium during the 2026 season. All seven contests will be broadcast on NBC and will also be simulstreamed on Peacock.
The 2026 schedule marks the second consecutive season that the Irish will host three night games at Notre Dame Stadium.
Notre Dame will open the season on Sunday, Sept. 6 at Lambeau Field as the Irish serve as the host and home side for the Shamrock Series presented by Credit Union 1 matchup against the Badgers. The game is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
The Irish will have their home opener on Sept. 12 when they host Rice at Notre Dame Stadium for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff. The teams first competed against each other on the gridiron in 1915 while this year’s installment is the first contest between the two sides since 2014.
The Megaphone Trophy rivalry will be renewed on Sept. 19 as rival Michigan State comes to South Bend for a 7:30 p.m. ET game. It will be the 80th meeting between the two teams as the Irish and the Spartans renew their rivalry for the first time since 2017. The oldest of the current Irish rivalry trophies, the Megaphone Trophy was first introduced to the winner of the game in 1949.
After a stint of away contests, the Irish are back home to host Stanford on Oct. 10 for a 3:30 p.m. matchup against the Cardinal in the latest installment of the battle for the Legends Trophy.
On Nov. 7, the Irish return home for a three-game stint in South Bend beginning with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff against Miami FL. It will be the first night game contest between the two teams at Notre Dame Stadium since 1984.
Notre Dame then hosts Boston College on Nov. 14 at 3:30 p.m. in the matchup for the Frank Leahy Memorial Trophy, which dates back to 1975.
The 2026 Notre Dame regular season home slate will conclude with a 7:30 p.m. game against SMU on Senior Day. It marks the first meeting between the Irish and the Mustangs since a 1989 clash at Notre Dame Stadium, and it will be the first time SMU and Notre Dame will meet up for a night game in South Bend.
Single-game tickets go on sale to the public on Thursday, June 4. Fans can sign-up here to get an alert when they become available. Fans interested in becoming Season Ticket Members can click here for more information, or contact the Murnane Family Ticket Office at tickets@nd.edu or (574) 631-7356.
I think we can probably bet the house that the BYU game in Provo will be at night — but hopefully not like the nonsense of a 10:30 PM start the Irish had vs Stanford last season. Two others that have a strong chance of being night games are road trips to Purdue and North Carolina.
I know some fans can be a little dismayed at the thought of all of these night games, but this is the norm for Notre Dame and has been for a while. Notre Dame Stadium will never have the atmosphere of a Kyle Field or Death Valley, but there is something quite special under the lights, and Notre Dame has done a good job of putting on a good show/event.
