Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2019 Notre Dame Football Preview
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1133608
16 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW UNDER THE DOME Amidst dramatic conference realignments, league championship games and the addition of the College Football Playoff this past decade, Notre Dame has developed its own football scheduling plans that are expected to remain consistent in the ensuing decades. • USC, Navy and Stanford remain the three mainstays on a yearly basis. • Playing in NFL Stadiums and/or big‑city mar‑ kets remain a priority, and it is manifested by the two‑game series with Wisconsin (2020‑21) played at Green Bay's Lambeau Field in 2020 and Chicago's Soldier Field in 2021. In 2020 alone, Notre Dame will play in four NFL venues: Bank of America Stadium in Char‑ lotte (Wake Forest), Lambeau Field (Wisconsin), Heinz Field (Pittsburgh) and the newly opened Mercedes Benz Stadium (Georgia Tech, where the Irish will also play in 2024). Originally slated for MetLife Stadium (New York Giants/New York Jets) in the opener, the Aug. 29 game versus Navy instead will be played in Dublin, Ireland, just like in 2012. The sixth road stadium that year is the vener‑ able Los Angeles Coliseum, where two Summer Olympics and the initial Super Bowl were held. Other than Houston and Denver, the Fighting Irish have played in almost every major American market. • The Shamrock Series games, which continued last year when Notre Dame switched its home game with Syracuse to Yankee Stadium, will not be a yearly event as it was from 2009‑16. There could be a hiatus interspersed, especially when appealing neutral‑site games such as the ones with Wisconsin in 2020‑21 are added. • Representation from at least four of the five major conferences is a priority. Notre Dame is a partial league affiliate of the ACC, and it also will have the Pac‑12 with USC and Stanford on the slate in regular‑season finales in California. After not playing a Big Ten foe in 2015 (a first in 2019 Schedule Date Opponent Sept. 2 at Louisville Sept. 14 New Mexico Sept. 21 at Georgia Sept. 28 Virginia Oct. 5 Bowling Green Oct. 12 USC Oct. 26 at Michigan Nov. 2 Virginia Tech Nov. 9 at Duke Nov. 16 Navy Nov. 23 Boston College Nov. 30 at Stanford 2020 Schedule Date Opponent Aug. 29 vs. Navy* Sept. 12 Arkansas Sept. 19 Western Michigan Sept. 26 vs. Wake Forest+ Oct. 3 vs. Wisconsin$ Oct. 10 Stanford Oct. 17 at Pittsburgh Oct. 31 Duke Nov. 7 Clemson Nov. 14 at Georgia Tech Nov. 21 Louisville Nov. 28 at USC * at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland; + at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.; $ at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. 2021 Schedule Date Opponent Sept. 6 at Florida State (Labor Day) Sept. 11 Toledo Sept. 18 Purdue Sept. 25 vs. Wisconsin^ Oct. 2 Cincinnati Oct. 9 at Virginia Tech Oct. 23 USC Oct. 30 North Carolina Nov. 6 Navy Nov. 13 at Virginia Nov. 20 Georgia Tech Nov. 27 at Stanford ^ at Soldier Field in Chicago 2019 at Georgia USC at Michigan at Stanford 2020 Arkansas vs. Wisconsin (at Green Bay) Stanford at USC 2021 Purdue vs. Wisconsin (at Chicago) at Stanford USC 2022 at Ohio State Stanford at USC 2023 Ohio State at Stanford USC 2024 at Texas A&M at Purdue Stanford at USC 2025 Purdue Texas A&M at Arkansas USC 2026 at Purdue Michigan State at USC 2027 Purdue at Michigan State 2028 Alabama at Purdue 2029 at Alabama SCHEDULE PLANS REMAINING IN PLACE Notre Dame's Future Non-ACC Power Five Opponents The Notre Dame-USC matchup will continue to be an annual event for at least the next eight seasons through 2026. Navy and Stanford are the other two non-conference mainstays on the Irish schedule. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA