Notre Dame Football: Fighting Irish and Crimson Tide Announce Series

As we’d reported toward the end of March, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Alabama Crimson Tide were reportedly in talks to schedule a series in football. As of today, that news is official:

The announcement states that the games are simply “home” and “away” match ups, and NOT match ups at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend or Bryant - Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa. Additionally, the early September dates will likely be the first or second weekend of the season for each of these teams.

While I have zero insider knowledge at this time, I can guess that the likelihood of this game being an off-site game played in an NFL stadium is quite high, given what we know. We here at One Foot Down are actively digging into this one to figure out some details and will follow up when we know something.

[Update: The official Notre Dame release provides more clarity. The 2028 game will indeed be in Notre Dame Stadium, while the 2029 version will be played at Bryant-Denny Stadium.]

These games will be the eight and ninth match ups between the Fighting Irish and Crimson Tide, with Notre Dame holding a 5-2 edge all time in the series. The teams last met in the 2013 BCS National Championship and well we all know how that one ended up.

The Irish can now look forward to playing an expanded slate of SEC teams, even if it does take place over a decade. The Irish have the Arkansas Razorbacks, Georgia Bulldogs, and Vanderbilt Commodores in addition to Alabama on future schedules.

Who knows what the college football landscape will look like in 2028 and 2029. 10 years ago, the Florida Gators were the cream of the SEC and college football crop, and Notre Dame was coming off of a 7-6 season, heading into a 6-6 season and about to fire their coach.

Do you see either Brian Kelly or Nick Saban still pacing the sidelines at their respective schools in 10 years? I don’t.