Notre Dame and USC just faced off in what was the final scheduled meeting between two rivals, as the Trojans have yet to work on future matchups with the Fighting Irish. This could be the end of a beloved rivalry between Notre Dame and USC, but maybe it could open the door to bringing back an old one.
When visiting on the "Bussin' With the Boys" podcast with Taylor Lewan and Will Compton, Lewan, who went to Michigan before playing a great NFL career, asked if Freeman would be happy to see the rivalry between the Wolverines and the Fighting Irish rekindled.
"When I was at Michigan, every second or third game of the year it would be Notre Dame," Lewan said. "It was such a beautiful rivalry."
Notre Dame and Michigan lost their rivalry game back in 2019 when the two programs stopped regularly scheduled matchups, even though the Wolverines led the series 25-17-1 in 43 matchups since 1887.
Freeman, like he is with the USC rivalry, is a huge proponent of bringing back the historic Michigan-Notre Dame rivalry.
Marcus Freeman is a “huge proponent” of more regular meetings between Notre Dame and Michigan, he told @BussinWTB.
— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) October 21, 2025
The Irish and Wolverines have only played twice (2018-19) in the last decade. They’re not scheduled to play again until 2033-34.
“We have to get that back going.” pic.twitter.com/OneGahp23o
"Oh, I'm a huge proponent, absolutely," Freeman said. "I remember growing up watching Michigan and Notre Dame play; that is such a great rivalry."
Freeman would love to see that rivalry come back and said that he believes the two teams are scheduled to play sometime around 2030. Freeman is unsure about any discussions around bringing back that rivalry, but in all honesty, it may not be a bad idea for either team.
With more conference games on the schedule now for everyone and Notre Dame remaining an independent, this could be a great matchup for the strength of schedule for both teams. The College Football Playoff committee always harps on strength of schedule and quality non-conference games, and for both teams, they can be that for each other.
Notre Dame and Michigan always seem to be near the top of the college football world, so having a strong matchup like this early in the season could look great for both teams come the end of the season.
Clearly, Freeman is all for this; now it is time to see if the administrations can do some work on getting it back on a more consistent basis.