BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana and Notre Dame will end a nearly a 40-year series hiatus after school officials announced Monday they would open the next decade with a two-game football series.
Notre Dame will host Indiana on Aug. 31, 2030, the first contest between the in-state programs since September 1991. On Sept. 27, 2031, the Fighting Irish will visit Bloomington, Indiana, for the first time since October 1950.
“I’m looking forward to facing one of the most storied programs in the history of college football,” Hoosiers coach Tom Allen said in a statement released by the athletic department. “It’s tremendous for the state of Indiana and for our fans, and it will be a great opportunity for our players.”
From 1946-2014 Notre Dame faced Purdue, the state’s other Big Ten school, annually for the Shillelagh trophy. The series was halted in 2015, in part because of Notre Dame’s ACC scheduling obligations. But in 2017, officials from both schools announced that series would resume Sept. 18 of this year when the Boilermakers visit South Bend — the first of six games scheduled between next season and 2028.
It’s unclear whether the Indiana games could impact future contests between Notre Dame and Purdue.
The announcement comes less than five months after the Hoosiers went 6-2, finished second in the Big Ten East Division and were ranked No. 12 in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll — their highest finish and most successful season since 1967 when Indiana played in the Rose Bowl.
The Irish opened the season with 10 straight wins but finished with back-to-back losses to Clemson in the ACC championship game and eventual national champion Alabama in the CFP semifinal. Notre Dame finished No. 5 in the rankings.
Notre Dame holds a 23-5-1 advantage in the Indiana series, going 13-1-1 at home and 6-3 in Bloomington. The Hoosiers have lost six straight to the Irish dating to a 20-7 victory on Oct. 21, 1950.
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