Notre Dame and South Florida announced an agreement for a home and home series in 2029 and 2031 on Monday morning. The two schools have only met twice previously with the most recent coming just this past season.
Notre Dame travels to Tampa September 15, 2029 for the first half of the home and home with South Florida making their third trip to Notre Dame Stadium on September 13, 2031 to complete the series.
The Fighting Irish previously announced a series with Alabama in 2028/29. Notre Dame travels to Tuscaloosa in 2029 two weeks before their trip to Tampa. NC State, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Navy, and Syracuse are also on the 2029 schedule at the moment.
South Florida joins Clemson, Virginia, Florida, NC State, Miami (FL), Navy, and Pitt on the 2031 schedule. Notre Dame and Florida recently announced their home and home series in 2031 and 2032. Florida visits South Bend on November 15, 2031, with the Irish traveling to Florida the following season on September 11.
Notre Dame and South Florida have split their two previous meetings with the Fighting Irish shutting out the Bulls 52-0 in September. Prior to that, South Florida upset Notre Dame in one of the more frustrating games of the early days of the Brian Kelly era – a 20-23 loss to start the 2011 season.
South Florida was a late addition to the 2020 Notre Dame schedule after the entire slate had to be reworked following the cancelation of traditional rivalries with USC and Stanford, the loss of the Wisconsin game, and Notre Dame’s eventual one-year full membership in the ACC. At the time, the agreement called for three total games which appear to have been formalized with today’s news.
With most conferences going “conference only” in 2020, Notre Dame didn’t have a lot of options for their one “out of conference” game last year especially after the MAC canceled their season. That leverage is likely how South Florida was able to work a home game with the Irish as part of the deal.
