Notre Dame, Clemson agree to 12-year football scheduling deal

According to Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger, Notre Dame and Clemson — two of college football’s biggest brands — will be seeing a great deal of each other over the next decade-plus.

The Irish and Tigers struck a 12-year football scheduling agreement, Dellenger reported Tuesday morning, which is set to begin in 2027 and run through 2038. Notre Dame confirmed the news less than an hour later.

Dellenger has previously reported that Notre Dame was expected to play Miami and Florida State more often as well, as part of its five-game Atlantic Coast Conference rotation.

“Notre Dame officials have publicly stumped for the ACC to arrange the Irish schedule in a way that features more of the conference’s big brands,” Dellenger wrote. “In January, Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua told reporters that he’d welcome playing more of the league’s big brands, even citing Clemson as ‘that type of [opponent] I’d love to play every year.'”

Bevacqua also said the Irish would like to see Florida State and Clemson, who publicly flirted with leaving the conference, stay in the ACC. They did, and he believes his athletics department will be better for it.

“The ACC relationship, our partnership, our inclusion in the ACC in everything but football and hockey has been wonderful for Notre Dame,” Bevacqua said. “A strong ACC is important to us and beneficial to us.”

On the field, some of Notre Dame’s most memorable games over the past seven years have come against Clemson. Most recently, the Irish lost 31-23 on the road 2023.

In head coach Marcus Freeman‘s first game against two-time national champion Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney, Notre Dame won 35-14 in an upset win at home. It was Freeman’s first signature win in South Bend.

Clemson leads the all-time series, which dates back to 1977, 5-3.

Notre Dame fans know their program is on the upswing, coming off an appearance in the national championship game. More quietly, a return to national prominence seems imminent in Clemson, S.C. The Tigers have frequently found themselves in the top five of post-spring top-25 rankings, despite a first-round College Football Playoff exit in 2024.

Led by veteran quarterback Cade Klubnik and a defensive line that includes two potential top-10 picks (Peter Woods and T.J. Parker), Clemson appears set to contend for its fourth national title and third under Swinney.

The Irish and Tigers should be a marquee matchup for years to come, starting in 2027.

Notre Dame vs. Clemson series history

Year	Location	Result
2023	Clemson	L, 31-23
2022	South Bend	W, 35-14
2020	Charlotte, N.C.*	L, 34-10
2020	South Bend	W, 47-40
2018	Arlington, Texas**	L, 30-3
2015	Clemson	L, 24-22
1979	South Bend	L, 16-10
1977	Clemson	W, 21-17

* ACC Championship
** Cotton Bowl/College Football Playoff Semifinal