Notre Dame and Clemson Announce 12-Game Football Series

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Two storied programs with national success and a history of memorable matchups, Notre Dame and Clemson, have agreed to a 12-game home-and-home contract to meet on the gridiron each season between 2027 and 2038.

The two schools were already scheduled to meet in 2027 (at Clemson), 2028 (at Notre Dame), 2031 (at Clemson), 2034 (at Notre Dame) and 2037 (at Clemson) per the ACC’s schedule contract with Notre Dame.

The agreement marks Notre Dame’s first new series of at least 12 games the program has started since 2002.

“We strive to consistently create a football schedule that positions us for success in the College Football Playoff, and that goal requires us to form historic partnerships like this one with Clemson,” said Notre Dame Vice President and James E. Rohr Director of Athletics Pete Bevacqua. “This rivalry has already produced some of the most memorable moments in recent college football history, and our fans deserve these matchups to continue to make those indelible memories.”

The two programs have met on eight prior occasions, including twice in the postseason. One of these postseason meetings was the 2020 ACC Championship, the only time Notre Dame Football has played in a conference.

“Even in just the last decade, matchups between Clemson and Notre Dame have produced incredibly memorable moments and games,” said Clemson Director of Athletics Graham Neff. “We have immense excitement for the creation of this 12-year series between these two premier programs, as we know these will be must-see matchups for fans at Memorial Stadium and Notre Dame Stadium as well as television audiences nationwide.”

The all-time series has a 5-3 Clemson record. At least one of the teams has been ranked in the top 15 in the nation entering all eight previous meetings, and five times both teams have been ranked entering the game, including three meetings of top five teams between 2018-20. The two schools have met four times in the regular season since 2015. The schools are 2-2 in those meetings with the home team winning each.

The series began with a two-game home-and-home series in 1977 and 1979 that was executed by legendary athletic directors Moose Krause of Notre Dame and Frank Howard of Clemson.

Notre Dame enters the 12-game agreement following victories in the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl and appearance in the CFP National Championship. Both Notre Dame and Clemson earned a berth in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff in 2024, and both schools competed in the College Football Playoffs at the end of the 2018 and 2020 seasons.

Notre Dame and Clemson are two of the top college football programs historically and in recent years. Notre Dame is fourth in college football history in total victories with 962 and has 11 national championships, eight in the AP poll era (since 1936). Clemson is 13th in college football history with 808 wins and has three national championships. Both schools are in the top 15 in college football history in post-season bowl victories and final top 25 seasons.

Excellence on the field and in the classroom has also been a common denominator between the two institutions. Only three schools have won the National Championship on the field and won the AFCA Academic Achievement Award (graduation rate) in the same year: Notre Dame in 1988, Alabama in 2017 and Clemson in 2018.

Notre Dame and Clemson were two of the seven schools to win the AFCA Academic Achievement Award this year. It was the 11th time Notre Dame has been the recipient and the fourth time for Clemson. Notre Dame has the third-most Academic Achievement Awards and Clemson is eighth.

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