2017 Notre Dame Schedule: 10 Thoughts & Themes

Other than temporarily halting its Shamrock Series tradition that began in 2009, Notre Dame’s newly released 2017 football schedule fits everything the administration and coaching staff would want.

Date Opponent

Sept. 2 Temple

Sept. 9 Georgia

Sept. 16 at Boston College

Sept. 23 at Michigan State

Sept. 30 Miami (Ohio)

Oct. 7 at North Carolina

Oct. 21 USC

Oct. 28 North Carolina State

Nov. 4 Wake Forest

Nov. 11 at Miami

Nov. 18 Navy

Nov. 25 at Stanford

Here are 10 thoughts on the slate:

1. Seven Home Game.

This is a first since head coach Brian Kelly’s inaugural campaign in 2010. It will be only the seventh overall at Notre Dame, with the first occurring in 1988, its most recent national title. The other five were 1999 (5-7), 2006 (10-3), 2007 (3-9), 2009 (6-6) and 2010 (8-5).

Fortunately under Kelly, Notre Dame has had a more appreciable home field advantage the last four years with a 21-3 record (.875), including unbeaten in 2012 and 2015. In the 22 seasons from 1990-2011, the Irish were unblemished at home only once (1998).

2. There will not be a Shamrock Series in 2017, in part because of the completion of the Campus Crossroads project.

“In 2017, the first year in which we will compete in the renovated stadium, we thought it was important to maximize the opportunity for our fans to attend a home game,” said Jack Swarbrick, Notre Dame’s vice president and James E. Rohr Director of Athletics. “We look forward to restoring the Shamrock Series tradition in 2018 and the years beyond.”

3. Six different conferences are represented, including four of the Power Five.

Five ACC teams are a given with Notre Dame’s partial membership in football, but it is particularly gratifying to Swarbrick to land an SEC opponent (Georgia) for the first time since Tennessee in a 2004-05 home and home. There is also the 2015 Big Ten champ (Michigan State), 2015 Pac 10 champ (Stanford), plus the AAC (formerly the Big East from 1979-2013) with Temple and Navy, and the MAC with Miami (Ohio), a school renowned as “The Cradle of Coaches,” including Notre Dame’s Ara Parsghian (1964-74).

The lone Power Five league not represented is the Big XII, although the Irish did/do play Texas in 2015-16.

4. For the fourth time since 2009, the game with USC at home will have a bye for Notre Dame the week prior.

It is not simple to fashion the schedule that way, but it has been manipulated well. Of course, the Irish still lost in 2009 and 2011, and eked out a 14-10 win in 2013. Last year there was not a bye prior to the home game with the Trojans, but the Irish still rallied to win in the fourth quarter (41-31).

Maybe more pertinent is the bye week continues to come right in the middle of the season, and Kelly has stated that is the ideal time because it can coincide with fall semester break, allowing the players to catch their second wind.

5. Temple will be the opener for the second time in five years.

The Irish began the 2013 campaign with a 28-6 win versus the Owls. That was head coach Matt Rhule’s first season at Temple, resulting in a 2-10 record.

Under Rhule, Temple has thrived, finishing 10-2 in the regular season last year and barely losing to Notre Dame, 24-20. This isn’t the “gimme” opener it was once thought to be. Will Rhule still be around, or is he destined for a bigger job after 2016?

6. Georgia, Miami (Ohio) and North Carolina State all will be first-time visitors to Notre Dame Stadium.

• The lone meeting with the Bulldogs was the 17-10 loss in the 1981 Sugar Bowl that won them their lone national title. Notre Dame out-gained Georgia 328-127 in total yardage but was besieged by turnovers, losing 4-0 in that category.

• North Carolina State’s first meeting with Notre Dame also was in a bowl, a 28-6 thumping of the Irish in the 2003 Gator Bowl that capped the “Return to Glory” 10-3 campaign under first-year coach Tyrone Willingham. The first regular season meeting between the two teams will be in Raleigh this year.

• The one previous meeting with Miami (Ohio) was a 46-0 Notre Dame win in 1909, when the unbeaten season was highlighted by the first win over Michigan in nine tries.

7. Remember when Notre Dame was scheduled to open the 1997 season in its newly expanded stadium against Miami (Ohio)?

That was cancelled to get a bigger name opponent (Georgia Tech) for the dedication. To help placate Miami, Notre Dame scheduled a men’s basketball series with them.

Twenty years later in another refurbished Notre Dame Stadium, the RedHawks will make their debut in the venue. The current head coach for Miami (Ohio) is 2010-13 Notre Dame assistant Chuck Martin, who was 2-10 and 3-9 his first two seasons.

8. Notre Dame returns to Miami Stadium for the first time since…

The 42-14 loss to Alabama in the national title showdown in January 2013. Back then it was known as Sun Life Stadium.

Notre Dame has not vanquished Miami on the Hurricanes’ home field since winning the national title in 1977.

9. It will be the first time Notre Dame plays three teams from the same state since 2007.

The Irish travel to North Carolina in 2017, and will host North Carolina State and Wake Forest.

During the 3-9 debacle in 2007, Notre Dame played three teams from California: USC, UCLA and Stanford — and won two of them, at UCLA (20-6) and Stanford (21-14).

10. Notre Dame will attempt to end a four-game losing streak at Stanford.

The only other longer losing streaks since 1964 at one venue were seven straight at USC from 1970-82 and five in a row at Miami from 1981-89.