Notre Dame and Michigan State used to battle each other nearly every year. However, the rivalry has been put on in part so that the Irish can fulfill their obligations to schedule enough ACC opponents in exchange for retaining their independence. Fortunately, it only will be on hold for a couple more years.
The Irish have announced they will play a home-and-home with the Spartans in 2026 and 2027 with the first game being played in South Bend. It will be the first time the programs have met since the Irish won a 38-18 decision in East Lansing in 2017. The Irish have won three of the past four meetings in the rivalry.
It’s worth noting that the Irish also will renew their rivalry with Michigan, but that won’t come until 2033 and 2034. This should tide us over a little bit until then. Also, while we wait for 2026, let’s look a few photos featuring the Irish and Spartans together over the years: