Notre Dame announces 2018 & 2019 football schedules

By Kevin Kelley -

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have finalized their 2018 and 2019 football schedules, the school announced on Thursday.

Notre Dame opens the 2018 season with three consecutive home games – Michigan on Sept. 1, Ball State on Sept. 8, and Vanderbilt, a newly scheduled game, on Sept. 15.

Other home games for Notre Dame in 2018 include Stanford (Sept. 29), Pittsburgh (Oct. 13), Florida State (Nov. 10), and Syracuse (Nov. 17).

Notre Dame will take on the Navy Midshipmen at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego on Oct. 27.

Road games for the Fighting Irish in 2018 include Wake Forest (Sept. 22), Virginia Tech (Oct. 6), Northwestern (Nov. 3), and USC (Nov. 24).

Notre Dame opens the 2019 season on the road at Louisville. That game is scheduled for Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 2.

Following a bye week, Notre Dame will play their first home game of the season against New Mexico on Sept. 14. Other home games include Virginia (Sept. 28), Bowling Green (Oct. 5), USC (Oct. 12), Virginia Tech (Nov. 2), Navy (Nov. 16), and Boston College (Nov. 23).

In addition to Louisville, Notre Dame will travel to face Georgia (Sept. 21), Michigan (Oct. 26), Duke (Nov. 9), and Stanford (Nov. 30) in 2018.

According to the release, one game in 2018 or 2019 may be designated as Notre Dame’s “Shamrock Series” game and could be played off-campus.

2018 Notre Dame Football Schedule

2019 Notre Dame Football Schedule

Comments (21)

They should play the FSU game in 2018 in the Superdome. I know they were almost going to host Baylor there a while back. Good recruiting ground.

ND vs FSU at the Superdome would be great. It’s too bad that the first LSU vs Wisconsin game in 2015 was played at NRG Stadium in Houston and not at the dome in New Orleans.

I know Vandy played Michigan a couple of years back at the Big House only, I assume that the Vandy vs ND game that was recently added is only going to be that game, no return back to Nashville.

Notre Dame fans can’t be happy at having to play at stadiums (Wake Forest; Duke) under 35,000 seats…..

Vandy game could always be Shamrock series at Titans stadium. Vandy technically isn’t the home team but doesn’t have to travel and gets to be on NBC, potentially in primetime. Could always go back to Fenway against BC for 2019 Shamrock Series or play Bowling Green at Browns, Paul Brown, or Lucas Oil for Shamrock Series.

Given that ND has 4 of its first 5 at home in 2018, the Vandy game seems like an obvious “Shamrock” candidate. Probably wishful thinking to hope that ND would move that game to Nashville. Indy or Chicago or even Atlanta are more likely options.

Very peculiar that Notre Dame neither schedules the third game of the BYU series nor buys out so BYU can then fund and alternate one and none game.

If 2025 is the next year Notre Dame can take on a fourth road game, they should just make it so.

Seems like it may end as ugly as that Arizona State three game arrangement. But hopefully not.

At one point or another ND should consider ending the Navy series and limit the number of games it schedules against G5 teams, especially if it wants to get into the playoff.

ND only plays 1-2 G5 games a year plus Navy is not going to hurt them by not getting in, they are ND. They will always be consider for the CFP.

ND will never cancel Navy series. It’s in return for the US Navy “saving” ND, the university, during WWII when campus enrollment dropped to record lows due to students enrolling in armed forces. The Navy sent hundreds of officer candidates to ND for schooling. ND never forgets that.

For 2018…

Still searching for a non-conference “P5” opponent:
Arkansas, Missi, Texas Tech, Utah St, West Mich, Coastal Caro

Programs which will NOT play a non-conference “P5” opponent:
Oregon, Wash St, Illinois, Minnesota, Okla St, Air Force

Programs whose only non-conference “P5” opponent is BYU:
Utah, Arizona, Wisconsin, Hawaii

Good info Sportx. Wisky’s non-conference schedule is SEC West-ish from 2017-2019……BYUx2, Utah State, Florida Atlantic, Western Kentucky, New Mexico, North Texas and @ USF.

That is light.

Then again it is lacking in the Wofford’s, The Citadel’s, and the Missouri State’s of the FCS world.

2018 – Oregon is playing Portland State on 09/08. Arkie does not have a game scheduled. The Ducks should drop the Portland State game and play the Razorbacks in JerryWorld. Neutral site game should draw 65,000 and it will get TV eyeballs being the second week of the season.

Coincidentally, Arkansas plays Portland State in 2019.

A lot of Hog fans would like to schedule the Ducks home-and-home. The lure of a September trip to the Pacific Northwest is strong. I believe both schools have openings in ’19 and ’20.