Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME Alabama in Arlington, Texas By Andrew Owens Notre Dame's Shamrock Series event has been a wild success. From 2009-16, the Irish will have traveled to Texas three times (San Antonio twice and Dallas once), plus FedEx Field (Washington, D.C.), Yankee Stadium (New York), Soldier Field (Chicago) and Fenway Park (Boston). Expect director of ath- letics Jack Swarbrick to secure future events in places such as Charlotte, N.C., New Orleans, Flor- ida and Texas. With Notre Dame's annual five-game ACC commitment, it will play in the South often, but the Shamrock Series is the ideal way to maintain a presence in Texas. The Lone Star State has been good to Notre Dame in recent years, with current players such as wide receivers Torii Hunter Jr. and Corey Rob- inson, tight end Durham Smythe and others hail- ing from that talent-rich region. Notre Dame's three opponents in its first three Texas-based Shamrock Series games were Wash- ington State, Arizona State and Army, with only the Sun Devils constituting a premier opponent. The Irish are fine with playing in Texas even if it isn't against an elite program, but with the College Football Playoff emphasizing strength of schedule, 2020 is the perfect time to set up a game against Alabama in the Dallas Cowboys' stadium in Arlington, Texas. Head coaches Nick Saban and Brian Kelly may have moved on by then, but the Crimson Tide are a safe bet to still be an excellent team. Alabama rarely travels north, so a home-and-home is un- likely, but it has opened the season at a neutral site four straight seasons, including twice in Ar- lington. LSU in New Orleans By Bryan Driskell The Shamrock Series has been extremely ben- eficial for Notre Dame, which has been able to play in great locations and carry its brand name into stadiums and markets where fans do not often get to see the Irish up close and personal. I n 2 0 1 6 , N o t r e Dame heads back to where it all started, traveling to San An- t o n i o t o t a ke o n Army. The Irish have made plenty of trips into the Lone Star State in recent seasons, and they will make two Texas trips in 2016. Notre Dame also travels to Aus- tin to face the Texas Longhorns in the season opener. While Texas has been a fertile recruiting terri- tory in recent seasons — and will continue to do so — playing in other markets could prove to be just as beneficial, if not more so. Playing a game in a market like St. Louis or Kansas City against a Big 12 opponent would be huge for Notre Dame. Getting to Charlotte, N.C., to face a top ACC or SEC opponent would be a major plus. The game that could have the biggest impact would be a 2020 trip to New Orleans, where Notre Dame and the LSU Tigers could face off in the Superdome. Notre Dame wants to get back into Louisiana for recruiting, and Catholic schools are still quite prominent in the state. A first-hand look at the Irish and another strong performance against the Tigers could be yet another way for Notre Dame to make inroads in one of the nation's most talent-rich states. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHAT IS AN IDEAL FUTURE UNANNOUNCED SHAMROCK SERIES GAME?