Notre Dame Football: What Home & Away Matchup Do You Want to See Next?

Home & Away Series

Notre Dame has scheduled some high profile Home and Away series over the next decade. Some of the notable additions include Ohio State, Clemson, Alabama, and a renewed series with Michigan. These are games that we pencil in as soon as the previous season ends. They bring the opportunity for top 10 matchups, College Game Day, and in atmospheres full of traditions. Now since I get to live in my fantasy land, I pose the question....

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If I were Jack Swarbrick who would I schedule a home & away series with?

LSU Tigers

I don’t have to dig too deep for you to understand why I want this game. Notre Dame fans fell out of love and like with Brian Kelly the second he left the program. He produced wins, but never embraced the fans and ultimately made excuses as to why he couldn’t win it all. Marcus Freeman is the anti-Kelly in terms of his demeanor and attitude, and so far has won our collective hearts before he’s coached a full season (it won’t all be roses people). The game would get so much hype and ND fans would rally en masse against Kelly. Curious how and if the Tiger faithful will rally around Kelly?....only time, and wins, will tell.

Baton Rouge seems like a WILD place to tailgate and watch a game. Even without the BK storylines, sign me up. It would also be hilarious to watch Cajuns take over Chicago the week before the game. Geaux Irish.

Oregon Ducks

Notre Dame has a 1-0-1 record against the Ducks and they haven’t played a game since 1982. That feels....wrong? I would love to see the sweet color combinations, but mostly I’d want to visit Eugene. By all accounts, Eugene is spectacular and Autzen Stadium is supposed to be top notch....I mean....come on...

It helps that I have LOVED my lone experience with Oregon fans. I saw them play Stanford in Palo Alto back in 2015 and was blown away. Stanford fans couldn’t care less, but I was screaming SKO DUCKS all game and was quickly embraced as their own. If the Irish played Oregon, both fanbases would flock (shoutout that duck pun) to the away stadium. The Blue, Green, Yellow, and Gold would look beautiful. This just has the makings of an incredible game day atmosphere.

Ole Miss Rebels

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Without a hint of sarcasm, Game Day with Katy Perry (she crushed her picks btw) was one of my favorites of all time. It showcased the Grove and I fell in love with the idea of going to a game there. It is a place where college football is sacred and an integral part of these fans lives. They would respect our traditions and we’d hopefully partake in many of theirs. I also can’t bring up Ole Miss without talking about the Lane Train himself. I DESPISED that man for many years, but he has found some humility and humor, become self aware, and is a damn good coach. This one would be just be an all around incredible experience.....And you know their fans would travel.

There is also a pretttty good chance I would not actually make it into the stadium....

College of the Holy Cross Crusaders

Now that Notre Dame is officially getting into the FCS game, why not schedule another Catholic team with an incredibly rich football history. They are also a HOT team on the rise winning 3 Patriot League Titles in a row. Their head Coach Bob Chesney is a rising star and we will see in the FBS ranks sooner rather than later. This would also allow me, for the first time in my life, to actively root against Notre Dame, which would be pretty awesome. Does that make me sick? Maybe.

But jokes aside, I would love for Holy Cross to travel to South Bend in the future.

(this totally isn’t biased because I played there, fyi).

Honorable Mentions

University of Chicago Maroons

Did you know the Maroons are undefeated against the Irish? (shoutout my buddy David for this one) This is also a test to see if Notre Dame really can capture the Chicago market and seek revenge for the 1899 loss. Standing room only.

Florida Gators

The Swamp seems like a pretty awesome place to watch a game, but I’m sweating thinking about how much I’d sweat. Also, my wife is from Florida so this would be a fun game for her.

Washington Huskies

That is all. Seems so sweet.

Boise State

Blue Turf? Sign me up.

North Dakota State Bison

The Fargo Dome would be rocking. They have such a love for the Bison up there and the people could not be friendlier if they tried.

Texas A&M

Kyle Stadium has so many traditions, but honestly the whole environment kind of creeps me out.

Who else?

Agree? Disagree? Who did I miss? Share your thoughts in the comments and as always...GO IRISH.