Notre Dame-Clemson Scheduling Agreement: Everything You Need to Know
- Connor Regan
- 3 days ago
- 7 min read
Notre Dame and Clemson have inked a 12-year deal for a home-and-home series from 2027-2038.
Art by The Irish Tribune
Notre Dame has recently announced a 12-year home-and-home series with recent ACC rival Clemson, beginning in 2027. The Irish currently have a long-term deal in place with the ACC, facing between 5-6 conference opponents per season through 2037, but this new deal will likely see changes coming down the pipe. The agreement is technically not a 12-year contract, as Notre Dame was already scheduled to play the Tigers five times intermittently throughout its current ACC deal (2027, 2028, 2031, 2034, 2037), but the two programs have added seven additional dates going through the 2038 season to make it an annual affair. Subsequently, the Irish will likely see fewer of the smaller-profile ACC football schools in favor of marquee broadcasting matchups with Florida State and Miami.
When making the announcement, Notre Dame’s 2nd-year AD Pete Bevacqua stressed the importance of this kind of agreement:
“We strive to consistently create a football schedule that positions us for success in the College Football Playoff, and that goal requires us to form historic partnerships like this one with Clemson.”
He furthered his point:
“This rivalry has already produced some of the most memorable moments in recent college football history, and our fans deserve these matchups to continue to make those indelible memories.”
Clemson-Notre Dame Series Future Dates
2027 – at Clemson (Nov. 13th - Pre-existing)
2028 – at Notre Dame (Nov. 11th - Pre-existing)
2029 – at Clemson
2030 – at Notre Dame
2031 – at Clemson (Sept. 1st - Preexisting)
2032 – at Notre Dame
2033 – at Clemson
2034 – at Notre Dame (Nov. 11th - Pre-existing)
2035 – at Clemson2036 – at Notre Dame
2037 – at Clemson (Sept. 26th - Pre-existing)
2038 – at Notre Dame
Clemson, Florida State, and Miami have been collectively embroiled in a public dispute with ACC brass regarding revenue distribution, national television access, and conference exit penalties. In the most recent amended distribution model, many reports whispered about Notre Dame being used as a bargaining piece with the blue-chip ACC programs, giving them increased media coverage through Notre Dame’s exclusive broadcasting partnership with NBC and a higher-caliber regular season opponent to build stronger playoff resumes.
With this new decade-plus Clemson deal, rumors of increased exposure with FSU and Miami, and a National Championship appearance under their belt, Notre Dame is only strengthening its case for independence. To have the three best teams in the ACC fighting for access to you and a conference committee making it a part of the new revenue agreement as an appeasement must mean you’re doing something right. As far as the ACC is concerned, this is only good news, as Notre Dame’s status well into the 2030s is secured, and the new deal with Clemson will likely help the conference placate both sides for the foreseeable future.
For the Irish, it’s a win-win. They’ve secured an annual game with one of the three best programs in the entire conference while keeping their additional ACC revenue coming in and potentially decreasing the overall games left to be played in its scheduling contract. That’s because the seven additional Clemson games through this period will officially count towards Notre Dame’s game requirement, likely freeing them from the long-term deal a bit earlier.
Notre Dame-Clemson Series History
Let's take a look at how this series started and the road that's brought us here.
1977 - at Clemson, SC
21-17 - ND
The first game of a home-and-home series was negotiated and signed by legendary Notre Dame Athletic Director Moose Krause.
The #5 Irish mounted a heroic comeback over the #15 Tigers, down 10 going into the fourth quarter. Joe “the Comeback Kid” Montana scored 14 unanswered points to steal the road victory and open up the series’ first game with a Notre Dame win. This game had an incredible 26 future NFL-ers on the field between the two schools, and the Irish went on to win head coach Dan Devine his 1st and only National Title. Devine notoriously flipped off Tigers fans as the Irish left the field, setting a… competitive tone for the series!
1979 - at South Bend, IN
16-10 - CLEM
The Tigers traveled to South Bend this go ‘round, and beat the Irish for just the 3rd time ever on Notre Dame’s Senior Day.
In a reversal of the 1977 game, Clemson fought back from a 0-10 halftime gap and won the game on a late touchdown pass.
2015 - at Clemson, SC
24-22 - CLEM
Thirty-five years since their last meeting, the #6 Irish hit the road for the deep South to face off with the #12 Tigers once again, and the result captured the nation’s attention. With a Clemson Stadium record 38 future NFL players on the field, the two heavyweights battled it out in an absolute onslaught of rain brought on by a withering hurricane. The game was a back and forth affair, but the Irish marched down the flooded sod to score a potential tying touchdown, but it all came down to a 2-point conversion. Unfortunately, the Irish just couldn’t get the push up-front, and QB DeShone Kizer fell just short of the goal line on a sneak. The heartbreaker breathed new life into the throwback series, and the hunger for a rematch began.
2018 - at Arlington, TX - Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
2020 - South Bend, IN
47-40 - ND
The first season in history that Notre Dame played within a conference, these two met amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, but put on an absolute show. In what many consider the rivalry’s best game yet, #4 Notre Dame welcomed #1 Clemson to South Bend for the first time since 1979, and the two squads traded blows all game. None other than all-time great Irish running back Kyren Williams scored the go-ahead touchdown before the Irish defense responded with back-to-back sacks to put away the Tigers in 2OT. The game sent Irish fans storming onto the field to celebrate, snapping Clemson’s 36-game regular-season win streak, and cementing the rivalry.
2020 - Charlotte, NC - ACC Championship Game
34-10 - CLEM
In Notre Dame’s first and only conference title game, the Irish rematched with Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers for a shot at the 2020 CFP. In a game that resembled the 2018 debacle more than the 2OT thriller from a few weeks before, Clemson routed the Irish 34-10 to win their 6th straight ACC Championship title.
2022 - South Bend, IN
35-14 - ND
#5 Clemson arrived in South Bend rocking a stellar 8-0 undefeated record and were heavily favored over the unranked 5-3 Irish. Notre Dame stunned Clemson with a 14-0 halftime lead, but the Irish poured it on with three straight 4th quarter touchdowns to put it out of reach. It was 28-0 before the Tigers added garbage-time points, but the Irish finally got their revenge from 2020.
2023 - Clemson, SC
31-23 - CLEM
Once again, roles flipped in this one, with the (7-2) #12 Irish falling to an unranked (4-4) Tigers squad after they jumped out to a (24-9) halftime lead. The Tigers added another score in the third quarter and never looked back, holding the Irish scoreless in the fourth to win a spoiler, 31-23.
Series Score: (5-3) Clemson
Clemson is one of just six programs with a winning record (with a 2-game minimum) over Notre Dame, joined only by UGA (3-1), Ohio State (7-2), Michigan (25-1-17), Nebraska (8-1-7), and Oregon State (2-1).
In all 8 games between the two programs, at least one side has been ranked within the top-15, while 5 games had both ranked within the top-15, and the other 3 saw each ranked within the top-5.
Future Schedules
The addition of a Clemson annual game has caused a stir regarding the future of Notre Dame’s schedule, as they’ve signed multiple high-profile home-and-home agreements over the last few years. Many point to the 2029 season and later as an example of the increasingly well-rounded and challenging nature of Notre Dame’s future schedules.
As you can see above, there are several seasons in a row with at least 1-2 SEC opponents, significantly more competitive ACC opponents, and even a few BIG10 teams sprinkled in for good measure. The commentary has been almost entirely positive, but some fans are a bit concerned by the absence of one specific team in these future schedules: USC. The Trojans and Irish have not yet agreed to a renewed scheduling deal, and as of May 2025, there are no scheduled matchups between the two set after the 2026 season. Just this past season, fans from both sides of the aisle became concerned following some dubious and cryptic comments from USC’s upper brass when pressed about the Notre Dame rivalry and future games.
USC’s AD Jennifer Cohen cautioned that;
“…the landscape has changed dramatically. We're now playing in a conference where we fly back and forth across the country every week, and CFP expansion, and how you get access to the CFP, and how things are seeded and selected. Those, to me, are important, unanswered questions."
When prompted, head coach Lincoln Riley was equally noncommittal, saying,
"There (have) been a lot of teams that sacrifice rivalry games...I'm not saying that's what's going to happen, but as we get into this playoff structure and if it changes or not, we get into this new conference, we're going to learn some about this as we go and what the right and best track is to winning a national championship."
Final Thoughts
With or without the likes of a recently struggling USC program, Notre Dame has already set itself up with one of the strongest and most consistent future schedules in college football and has only improved their general independent positioning. The most significant criticism of the ACC deal was a lack of consistently strong opponents, but an annual Clemson game alongside more shots at Miami and FSU essentially solves any substantive ACC issues. If you take that alongside an increased BIG 10 and SEC scheduling footprint, it means Notre Dame has not anchored itself deeper in the ACC and strengthens their overall regular-season competition level. In a world built around the CFP, Notre Dame’s only path there is built on the backs of 12 solid opponents, and the Irish are already lining up 4+ marquee showdowns per season for the foreseeable future. It remains to be seen how beneficial these games turn out for either squad, primarily hinging on how competitive these top-tier ACC teams stay (LOOKING AT YOU FSU), but if their performances over the last 10 years are any indicator, Notre Dame is once again heading in the right direction.
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