The quest for world domination continues
With the 2025 season at last in the books and all my negativity about the state of college football exorcised, in the spirit of turning the page toward the future I thought it would be fun to revisit a recurring topic here at OFD – namely, Notre Dame’s continuing march toward playing every team in college football, which the program and definitely not I, myself, alone, are profoundly invested in.
One of my first articles here explored this in the wake of Notre Dame’s win over Iowa State in 2019; we then revisited the topic after the 2023 season. Since that entry, we’ve had two more seasons and seen a few more first-time opponents since, so it seemed about the right time for a check-in. We’ll look at the games from the past two years first before looking at upcoming matchups and teams that are still out there, waiting to be conquered.
Added to the Ledger
Notre Dame has played three games against first-time opponents over the course of two seasons in which they fielded excellent teams. This should be a fun trip down memory lane that will definitely not bring up any bad memories like…
Northern Illinois Huskies 16, Notre Dame 14 – Sep. 7, 2024
Dammit.
So many words were spilled about this horrific showing in the weeks following that I don’t need to recap it, so I’ll just let my boys James and Lars remind you of how it felt.
The weirdest thing about this very, very weird game was its silver lining. At the time we thought the wool had been pulled over our eyes and the season was all but over. Instead, the Irish rallied to mount a dominant 13-game winning streak that landed them in the national title game. In an astounding twist, an agonizing loss ended up being the lynchpin for Notre Dame’s best season in recent memory, as that very agony fueled them throughout the season. In short – it was the worst of times, and then it was the best of times, which has led to the NIU affair being remembered with a bizarre fondness not applied to, say, Marshall in 2022.
Now let’s say goodbye to that very weird memory and move on to some happier ones.
Notre Dame 56, Arkansas Razorbacks 13– Sep. 27, 2025
A first-time SEC matchup that was supposed to take place in 2020 ended up being finally fulfilled in the rolling hills of Arkansas in 2025. It’s weird looking back, but this game was viewed with a fair bit of trepidation. A Notre Dame defense that had looked like Swiss cheese in their two opening losses, and even their first win over Purdue, was taking on a dynamic Razorback offense led by Taylen Green with Sam Pittman coaching to save his job. Let’s just says those fears were exaggerated.
CJ Carr, Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price looked like video game incarnations operated by the world’s loneliest teenager, and it turned out Chris Ash may have known a thing or two about defense as he completely shut down Green. The Irish literally knocked the Hogs into next season, as they fired Pittman and didn’t win another game. I will note that they did give a few SEC opponents scares (34-31 vs. Tennessee, 45-42 vs. Texas A&M), which along with a 41-35 final against Ole Miss two weeks prior should have been a hint that maaaaybe that conference wasn’t as strong as it used to be. Just a little observation for any readers out there who may be involved in ranking college football teams for fun and profit. Moving on.
Notre Dame 28, Boise State Broncos 7 – Oct. 4, 2025
One week after the most lopsided Northern victory in Arkansas since Pea Ridge, the Irish returned home for a fun matchup pitting the ultimate blue blood and the ultimate upstart in a battle of 2024 College Football Playoff participants. In truth, the game had lost most of its luster by the time it came around as it became clear that an Ashton Jeanty-less Broncos team would not be doing Notre Dame’s strength of schedule any favors. To give them credit though, the Broncos did show the gumption and pluck they have always been known for as they refused to go away, and sloppy play by the Irish gave them opportunities to stay in the game. The result was a sound, but not dominant home win by the Irish. By far the best thing about this game? It produced an all-time Jadarian Price highlight:
Full highlights here. All in all this was a nothingburger given the Broncos ended the season 9-5, though not without grabbing the Mountain West crown. The first memory that came to mind about it was that it was horrifically over-officiated, and looking up the numbers confirms that was indeed the case. The Broncos were penalized 13 times and the Irish 11, both somehow equaling exactly 112 yards. Poor form, MWC officials, though you can rest assured that no one thinks your major-conference counterparts would have done much better.
Still Out There
Notre Dame has still never played the following FBS teams:
Appalachian State Mountaineers
Arkansas State Red Wolves
Auburn Tigers
Buffalo Bulls
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Colorado State Rams
Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens
East Carolina Pirates
Eastern Michigan Eagles
FAU Owls
FIU Golden Panthers
Fresno State Bulldogs
Georgia Southern Eagles
Georgia State Panthers
Jacksonville State Gamecocks
James Madison Dukes
Kansas State Wildcats
Kennesaw State Owls
Kent State Golden Flashes
Kentucky Wildcats
Liberty Flames
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Memphis Tigers
Middle Tennessee St. Blue Raiders
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Missouri State Bears
New Mexico State Aggies
North Texas Mean Green
Ohio Bobcats
Old Dominion Monarchs
Sam Houston Bearkats
San Jose State Spartans
South Alabama Jaguars
Southern Miss Golden Eagles
Texas State Bobcats
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Troy Trojans
UAB Blazers
UCF Knights
UL Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns
UL Monroe Warhawks
UNC Charlotte 49ers
Utah State Aggies
UTEP Miners
UTSA Roadrunners
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Wyoming Cowboys
There are no first-time opponents on Notre Dame’s 2026 schedule. A big development is coming in this arena in the following year though, as the biggest name on that list, the Auburn Tigers, will be crossed off in South Bend on September 25, 2027.
Beyond the Tigers there are two other SEC teams – Kentucky and Mississippi State – that the Irish have still never played. Jack Swarbrick had actually expressed a desire to play both of those teams in the past and the Irish seem to be actively trying to get more SEC opponents on future schedules (one in 2027, three in 2028, two in 2029, one each already for 2030-32) so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see either of them pop up in the near future.
Relations with the Big 12 appear a bit frosty so I’m less certain this is something Notre Dame’s athletic department wants to kick the tires on, but Texas Tech should obviously be at the top of the list for Notre Dame fans given their recent success, upward trajectory and coach’s weird obsession with taking shots at the Irish. Kansas State and UCF would both also be fun matchups, particularly the Wildcats as I’ve wanted a piece of them ever since the 2012 season.
The remainder of the list above is composed of G5 teams, some of which are interesting and some of which I couldn’t care less about. Your taste may vary. When it comes to scheduling cupcakes I prefer them to at least be regional neighbors so I wouldn’t mind seeing Ohio, Kent State or Eastern Michigan come to South Bend, although I would ask that for the love of God Marcus and co. bear down and win the game. Outside of the Midwest you have a few interesting programs like Appalachian State, Memphis, North Texas, JMU etc. that could be fun to see on a one-off basis similar to the Boise State game, but there aren’t that many must-see tilts still out there.
If I missed your alma mater, local favorite or team you want to see for some other reason, let me know in the comments!
Category: General Sports
