ACC announces Notre Dame football opponents through 2025

By Kevin Kelley -

The ACC has officially announced the football opponents for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish through the 2025 season.

Notre Dame began a 12-year agreement with the ACC this season, which called for five games against ACC foes every year. But existing scheduling issues forced a change to four games this season and six in 2015.

With today’s announcement, the Fighting Irish will play five ACC schools each season from 2016 through 2021, four in 2022, six in 2023, four in 2024, and six in 2025.

The slate is highlighted by a pair of Monday contests on Labor Day — at Louisville in 2019 and at Florida State in 2021.

“The football partnership between the ACC and Notre Dame is a terrific enhancement for all parties,” said ACC Commissioner John Swofford. “Notre Dame not only adds to our league’s already highly ambitious schedules, it also provides the opportunity for almost all of our student-athletes to play against Notre Dame during their careers. When you add in the excitement that it brings to our fans, there’s no question that this partnership is significant.”

So far this season, Notre Dame is 2-1 against ACC teams. The Irish defeated Syracuse 31-15 at MetLife Stadium, held off North Carolina 50-43 at home, and lost to No. 2 Florida State 31-27 in Tallahassee.

Their lone remaining ACC opponent this season is home vs. Louisville on Nov. 22.

“Nine additional seasons of games against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents again adds both variety and quality to future University of Notre Dame football schedules,” said University of Notre Dame Vice President and Athletics Director Jack Swarbrick. “Over those nine years, four ACC programs that have never played in Notre Dame Stadium (Louisville, NC State, Virginia and Virginia Tech) will come to South Bend, and two others that have only played at Notre Dame one time (Wake Forest and Clemson) also will travel to our campus.

“On the other side of the coin, during that period we will take our team to four ACC campuses at which Notre Dame never has played football (Louisville, North Carolina State, Virginia and Virginia Tech), plus three others (Clemson, Duke and Wake Forest) where our team has played only once.”

Listed below are Notre Dame’s ACC opponents for the 2014 through 2025 seasons. Exact dates are to be announced.

1. Notre Dame vs. Syracuse (MetLife Stadium), 9/27*
2. North Carolina at Notre Dame, 10/11
3. Notre Dame at Florida State, 10/18
4. Louisville at Notre Dame, 11/22

1. Notre Dame at Virginia, 9/12
2. Georgia Tech at Notre Dame, 9/19
3. Notre Dame at Clemson, 10/3
4. Notre Dame at Pitt, 11/7
5. Wake Forest at Notre Dame, 11/14
6. Notre Dame vs. Boston College (Fenway Park), 11/[email protected]

1. Duke at Notre Dame, 9/24
2. Notre Dame vs. Syracuse (MetLife Stadium), 10/1*
3. Notre Dame at NC State, 10/8
4. Miami at Notre Dame, 10/29
5. Virginia Tech at Notre Dame, 11/19

1. Notre Dame at Boston College, 9/16
2. Notre Dame at North Carolina, 10/07
3. NC State at Notre Dame, 10/28
4. Wake Forest at Notre Dame, 11/04
5. Notre Dame at Miami, 11/11

1. Syracuse at Notre Dame, 9/22
2. Notre Dame at Virginia Tech, 10/13
3. Pittsburgh at Notre Dame, 10/20
4. Florida State at Notre Dame, 11/10
5. Notre Dame at Wake Forest, 11/17

1. Notre Dame at Louisville, 9/2 (Labor Day)
2. Virginia at Notre Dame, 9/28
3. Notre Dame at Georgia Tech, 10/19
4. Virginia Tech at Notre Dame, 11/02
5. Notre Dame at Duke, 11/09
6. Boston College at Notre Dame, 11/23

1. Notre Dame at Wake Forest
2. Notre Dame at Pittsburgh
3. Duke at Notre Dame
4. Clemson at Notre Dame
5. Louisville at Notre Dame

1. Notre Dame at Florida State, 9/6 (Labor Day)
2. Notre Dame at Virginia Tech
3. North Carolina at Notre Dame
4. Notre Dame at Virginia
5. Georgia Tech at Notre Dame

1. Notre Dame at North Carolina
2. Notre Dame at Syracuse
3. Boston College at Notre Dame
4. Clemson at Notre Dame

1. Notre Dame at NC State
2. Notre Dame at Duke
3. Notre Dame at Louisville
4. Wake Forest at Notre Dame
5. Notre Dame at Clemson
6. Pittsburgh at Notre Dame

1. Miami at Notre Dame
2. Notre Dame at Georgia Tech
3. Florida State at Notre Dame
4. Virginia at Notre Dame

1. Notre Dame at Miami
2. NC State at Notre Dame
3. Notre Dame at Boston College
4. Notre Dame at Pittsburgh
5. Syracuse at Notre Dame

* – Designated ‘home’ game for Syracuse
@ – Designated ‘home’ game for Notre Dame


Comments (28)

I know this is the obvious comment, but just join the conference and play a league schedule like virtually every other school. Obviously the Big Ten would make a lot more sense, but I don’t even care at this point. I just want Notre Dame in a conference. Enough already…

Actually, the B1G makes less sense now than the ACC. Pitt, BC, Miami, Ga Tech, BC, FSU all have rivalries with ND that go back. Syracuse, is a rival in traditional Notre Dame Catholic households in NY. Wake, has connections via University Presidents at WFU from ND. Duke, UNC, and Virginia are good academic rivals. ND’s rivalries in the B1G are basically just Michigan, Michigan State, NW, and Purdue. Penn State, sort of. So a straight comparison…. ACC has more connectivity.

Miami was a big deal, what, 20 years ago? GaTech? Yeah right. They alone have more history with UM and MSU than everything other than BC and Pitt combined, not to mention they would have 2 in-state opponents and a number of more historic programs than the ACC has other than FSU and Miami.

Norte Dame is not gonna join a conference as long as the have the Norte Dame broadcasting channel ( better know as NBC). They get all the money, make their own schedule( for the most part). The ACC is a good fit for them. I think this is a back up plan for them, if for some reason NBC were to drop them then they could join the ACC in football. Then the 16th team would be UConn or Cinninatti. UConn has wanted in the ACC for years. That would make one helluva basketball league.

David, a straight comparison of history actually favors the Big Ten. To date, Notre Dame has played the following Big Ten and ACC schools, from most to least: Purdue 86, Michigan State 77, Pitt 69, Northwestern 47, Michigan 42, Georgia Tech 34, Indiana 29, Miami 25, Iowa 24, Boston College 22, North Carolina 19, Penn State 19, Nebraska 16, Wisconsin 16, Illinois 12, Florida State 8, Syracuse 7, Minnesota 5, Ohio State 5, Rutgers 5, Duke 4, Clemson 2, Maryland 2, Wake Forest 2, North Carolina State 1, Virginia 1, Virginia Tech 0, Louisville 0.
That’s Big Ten 385-ACC 194. Plus four of the first five schools listed are Big Ten.

I am pretty sure ND is afraid to join the Big 10 because they are fearful of having to play the other Interstate powerhouses of Indiana and Purdue every year!

They can not afford to play in a conference. The lose of income would be to great to the University.
Big ten will no allow them to play without joining the league.
Apparently you do not know ND student enrollment.
In addition, name another school in US Thad does not want to play ND. Or, another school anyl in US that another school would rather play other than ND? Answer?

They are in a conference, the ACC; just not a full member for football. This gives flexibility for them to play nationally and others get non-conference games with a top opponent. I love how the Navy game is going to go to Naval communities: Jacksonville and San Diego.

Wake Forest, Pitt, Duke, Syracuse…WOW!! ….coupled with service academies and the occassional Rice/Tulsa/UConn. Get rid of this schools prefered playoff and ‘power conference’ status. BYU is just about on par looking at 2015/2016/2017.

D’oh. You have no clue that the Pitt/ND game has happened 69 times, and goes back to 1909?
Furthermore, they play USC every year, Stanford or Cal alternatingly, and pick up a B1G school every year. You have them confused with Navy or Army, apparently.

A bad game is a bad game who cares if goes back 80 years. ND has a ridiculous lopsided series with’s not a rivalry. A rivalry means at some level parity or good competition where both win regularly. Beating someone 40 of the last 43 is not a rivalry.

David, Notre Dame does not play Stanford and Cal alternatingly. They actually play Stanford every year, but have not played Cal since the 60s! You should do your own homework before telling other people that they don’t have a clue.

Notre Dame should join the Big Ten East and they the Big Ten should kick out Nebraska, that would make the most sense.

UConn is begging for that slot, they need to improve their fball. Their bball mens and women’s would fit right in the ACC. They also have some other good non revenue sports, but fball drives conference changes, so they must improve fball.

The ACC is not going to be able to poach anybody from another major conference so their prospects would be AAC schools. The thing is their are not many real good choices that have good fball programs and /or add a major media market or state. For exmple schools like UCF and USF would love to be in major conf, but the ACC already has 2 florida schools.

Wake up. You ignore the fact that in 2016 ND also plays Michigan State, Texas, Stanford & USC — no joke!

Most schools would love to be ND. The only schools with enough balls to play them consistently are Michigan, Mich St, USC and Stanford. Also, ND players rarely leave school early for the NFL. Check NFL rosters and the Hall of Fame for Irish dominance. By the way, how many Ohio State QB’s have started or won a Super Bowl (0).

From what I understood, the Irish were contractually obligated to play at LEAST 5 ACC games a year and play each ACC team once every three years. But it seems ND had their way in the end!

A few years back, ND had some sort of agreement with Big East football- supposedly three games a year- but that never materialized.

ND has been in a conference since 1994. (Big East & now ACC) They Choose to keep the football program out of a conference due to their lucrative TV contracts. MONEY! da.

Money, Money, Money!
What would your school do given the same chance?
Most comments mentioned here is because you want to play ND! Deny that any why,
Answer, anyone?

I like ND scheduled if they have a contract with one of the big ten and a pac12 team they will have the tough schedule in the conference

Father Edmund Joyce was the only university administrator to refuse to sign over home game TV rights for football to the fledgling “NCAA” in the late 50’s. Everyone else, not seeing the future of TV college football for what it was to be, sheepishly gave away their own TV rights forever, getting nothing in return.
Today, Notre Dame leases its rights to NBC for about 7 million each year.
That money goes into the General Fund, not Athletics.
Father Joyce was smart, to say the least. The others – not so much. Your chances of getting Notre Dame into a conference, where it would have to assign its TV rights to the commissioner, are absolute zero. And to the rest of the universities in America, your chances of ever getting your own rights back are also absolute zero!