Report: Notre Dame to face ACC powerhouses more often as part of new TV deal
According to Yahoo Sports college football reporter Ross Dellenger, Notre Dame fans can expect more games against Florida State, Miami and Clemson in the not-too-distant future.
ESPN is exercising its option to extend its television rights contract with the Atlantic Coast Conference — which initially ran until 2027 — through 2036, Dellenger reported Thursday morning. Part of that extension, per Dellenger, stipulates that the Irish will face the traditional football powers of the ACC more often.
“The league’s biggest brands — Florida State, Miami and Clemson — are expected to play more football games regularly with Notre Dame,” Dellenger wrote. “The Irish are expected to play, at the very least, two of the three each season in a rotation.”
Notre Dame’s current scheduling agreement, which runs through 2037, is an average of five rotating ACC games per season. In 2025, the Irish have six of them: Miami (Aug. 31 on the road), NC State (Oct. 11 at home), Boston College (Nov. 1 on the road), Pittsburgh (Nov. 15 on the road), Syracuse (Nov. 22 at home) and Stanford (Nov. 29 on the road).
When they do not make the College Football Playoff, the Irish are also considered an ACC team for the purposes of bowl selection. And, of course, the ACC provides a home for each of Notre Dame’s non-football sports, with the exception of hockey.
The Irish also joined the ACC as a full member for the “COVID season” in 2020. They made the conference championship game that year, losing to Clemson.
Top 10
- 1New
Cam Newton
Arch Manning, Saban to Cowboys
- 2Hot
Arch Manning NIL
Texas QB signs with Red Bull
- 3
ACC, ESPN extension
New deal reached through 2036
- 4
John Calipari return
Rick Pitino encourages cheers
- 5
SEC softball poll
Predicted order of finish
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
Notre Dame enjoyed a 30-game regular-season ACC winning streak from Nov. 11, 2018-Oct. 7, 2023. The Irish went 5-0 against the league in 2024, beating Louisville, Stanford, Georgia Tech, Florida State and Virginia by an average margin of 27.4 points.
Notre Dame’s strength of schedule has come under fire in recent years, in no small part due to the ACC being down in football. It came under an especially close microscope this past season, as the Irish fought for College Football Playoff positioning with the 57th-ranked schedule in the nation.
It was not Notre Dame’s fault that Florida State imploded, but the Seminoles’ 2-10 season did hurt the Irish’s resume by taking away what was supposed to be a marquee game.
The new deal with ESPN, however, should give that Notre Dame’s five-game ACC slate a solid floor to stand on moving forward. The Irish will test themselves against the class of the conference at 7:30 p.m. ET on Aug. 31, when they take on Miami in Miami Gardens, Fla.
