As we enter August and the start of the 2026-27 academic year, Notre Dame could be on the cusp of a truly special nine-month run.

On Monday, August 3rd, Notre Dame and USC announced the renewal of the historic Jeweled Shillelagh trophy after the talks had fizzled out this past offseason. The Trojan Athletic Department had pushed heavily for a late-season matchup against the Irish, as a USC win would likely fare better in the playoff race. However, Notre Dame strongly pushed for an early-season matchup.

On July 28th, Notre Dame Athletics struck a jersey patch deal with finance company SoFi Technologies. The multiyear partnership, rumored to be in the neighborhood of $18 million-$20 million, will be the most valuable patch deal in college sports, according to ESPN.

On the flip side, Notre Dame will travel outside South Bend six times as well, with two neutral-site games and four true away games. We ranked the opposing stadiums the Irish will play in, using factors such as stadium capacity, average attendance, and more.