Notre Dame Football: What would a hypothetical Big Ten schedule look like?

Notre Dame Football: What would a hypothetical Big Ten schedule look like?

The Schedule

Using 2022 as a template, here is a hypothetical Notre Dame football schedule in the Big Ten.

Sept. 3 – at Penn State

The Notre Dame football team opens their season with a difficult opponent on the road in a hostile environment. Does this sound familiar?

Sept. 10 – Maryland

The Fighting Irish travel back to South Bend for their home opener. The Irish and Terps clashed twice in 2002 and 2011 respectively, but never at Notre Dame Stadium.

Sept. 17 – UCLA

The Bruins almost ruined Brady Quinn’s march to a BCS bowl during his Senior season in South Bend. UCLA looks to finish the job this time.

Sept. 24 – at Purdue

The Notre Dame football program once again travels to Ross-Ade Stadium to take on the Boilermakers.

Oct. 8 – BYU (Las Vegas, NV)

Notre Dame continues to play the Shamrock Series game and uses different one-off opponents as their rotation to keep the annual tradition alive.

Oct. 15 – Stanford

The Irish take on their Big Ten permanent opponent in the slot they reside in the 2022 season.

Oct. 22 – at Northwestern

Rockne’s Ramblers continue their GPA tournament with their battle against the Wildcats in Evanston, Illinois.

Oct. 29 – at Iowa

The Hawkeyes and Irish clashed 24 times in their respective histories but have not played since 1968.

Nov. 5 – Michigan

The Fighting Irish and Wolverines battle later in the year under lights in Notre Dame Stadium. This contest could result in a trip to the Big Ten championship game.

Nov. 12 – Navy (Baltimore, MD)

The Midshipmen and Irish continue to meet to demonstrate their “mutual respect” for each other.

Nov. 19 – Michigan State

Another familiar foe graces the schedule with a recently unfamiliar spot in November. The historic 10-10 tie between the Spartans and Irish occurred on November 19.

Nov. 26 – at USC

The Notre Dame football team travels out to Los Angeles for another later-year tilt. But, the great thing about the “new rivalry week” is that next year the Trojans come freezing to South Bend.