All Notre Dame football eyes are on the Aggies as they charge into South Bend, carrying sky-high stakes. For a storied program hungry to reclaim its throne, the 2025 showdown promises headlines aplenty.
Everything hangs in the balance when Texas A&M battles the Fighting Irish. A season’s destiny is at stake, setting the tone for glory—or heartbreak—throughout the fall. This is the moment that could define it all.
Notre Dame football’s defining game is same as 2024
ESPN has laid out each of the “defining games” of the upcoming season for all of the team the site believes will open the year in the Top 25. For the second straight year, the Notre Dame football team’s defining game is against a team from the SEC that is still trying to establish its own identity.
The best news of all is this time, the game will allow the Irish to do it at home. After proving their mettle in College Station they’ll be able to turn home field into a big win.
Notre Dame football’s schedule is front loaded
ESPN made it very clear why they feel as though the Texas A&M game is so important for the irish. Marcus Freeman’s 2025 schedule is front loaded. And once he gets through the season’s first five games, things get easier for a stretch.
“Notre Dame will have a good idea of its CFP position after its first two games, at Miami and the home opener against Texas A&M,” the sports giant wrote. “I try to resist putting so much on a Week 1 game, so I'm going with the Texas A&M contest Sept. 13, which follows an open week.”
The Notre Dame football team opens with Miami, then gets an off week, Texas A&M, vs Purdue, at Arkansas and then home against Boise State. Should they finish that stretch off 5-0, a team that many think will compete for a bye in this year’s playoffs will be sitting pretty.