No. 2 Notre Dame takes on 1-9 Syracuse on Saturday for just the tenth time in the history of the two programs.
It’s a series that dates back over 100 years, but also one that saw breaks in it of 47 years and another 40.
The first time Notre Dame took on Syracuse was in upstate New York with the Irish winning the 1914 battle, 20-0, and conclude the 6-2 campaign for the Irish.
It’d by 47 more years until the teams met again, this one a much closer Notre Dame victory, 17-15 in the two’s first meeting at Notre Dame Stadium in 1961.
Related: Predictions for Notre Dame-Syracuse this Saturday
Two years later the Irish made the return trip to Syracuse where they lost 14-7, and that was that for this series for 40 years.
2003 saw Notre Dame make their first and only trip to date to the Carrier Dome as they were embarrassed by Syracuse, 38-12, concluding a rough 5-7 season for the Irish.
Two years later it was Syracuse returning to Notre Dame for the first time in 44 years and they caught a very good Irish team led by Brady Quinn, Jeff Samardzija, and plenty of others in a 34-10 Fighting Irish victory.
The two met again three years later in what is probably the most memorable of any of the games as a 2-8 Syracuse team who had already announced they’d be firing head coach Greg Robinson at season’s end, came to Notre Dame Stadium and upset the 6-4 Irish, 24-23.
The teams have met in New York City three times since, twice at MetLife Stadium (2014, 2016) and once at Yankee Stadium (2018) with all three resulting in Notre Dame victories of various significance.
Notre Dame-Syracuse All-Time Results:
Notre Dame leads series 6-3
1914: Notre Dame 20, Syracuse 0 (at Syracuse)
1961: Notre Dame 17, Syracuse 15 (at Notre Dame)
1963: Syracuse 14, Notre Dame 7 (at Syracuse)
2003: Syracuse 38, Notre Dame 13 (at Syracuse)
2005: Notre Dame 34, Syracuse 10 (at Notre Dame)
2008: Syracuse 24, Notre Dame 23 (at Notre Dame)
2014: Notre Dame 31, Syracuse 15 (at MetLife Stadium)
2016: Notre Dame 50, Syracuse 33 (at MetLife Stadium)
2018: Notre Dame 36, Syracuse 3 (at Yankee Stadium)