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Illinois Football Announces Two Future Games vs. Notre Dame
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- Illinois Football Announces Two Future Games vs. Notre Dame
For the first time since 1968, the Illinois Fighting Illini and Notre Dame Fighting Irish will take to the gridiron opposite each other. The two schools will play in a home-and-home series beginning next season, first in South Bend for 2027 and then in Champaign for 2028, the programs announced on Tuesday.
In doing so, Illinois beefs up their schedule by adding another quality opponent to a 2027 slate that features home games against Indiana, Northwestern, Penn State, UCLA, Wisconsin and road games at Michigan, Minnesota, Purdue, and USC.
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The trip to Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend is set for Week 2 on September 4th sandwiched between two home games against FIU in Week 1 (August 28th) and against Delaware in Week 3 (September 11th). The 2028 matchup at Gies Memorial Stadium will take place on September 2nd.
The two have squared off just 12 times in their history, with Illinois holding a 0-11-1 record all-time against Notre Dame. The Irish cancelled a series against Purdue to accommodate the Illini, while the Notre Dame games will replace Missouri on Illinois' schedule in 2027 and 2028. Illinois is currently scheduled to face Missouri again in 2029 (road), 2033 (neutral site), 2034 (home), and 2035 (road), but may be looking to move off of this rivalry for good.
Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Illinois AD Josh Whitman spoke about the decision to add Notre Dame to the schedule, explaining why it will be a great opportunity to generate excitement among two loyal Midwestern fanbases.
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"This is a series I have wanted to get on the football schedule since I arrived in 2016," he said. "It has been too long since these two tradition-rich programs have met, given our proximity, common values, and deep roots in Chicago and throughout the Midwest. We expect to see a lot of Orange and Blue next year in South Bend and believe the 2028 matchup in Champaign will be one of our most anticipated home games in decades. Thank you to Notre Dame, Pete Bevacqua, Ron Powlus, and Coach Freeman for helping to make this exciting series a reality."
Illinois (5-3) is on the outside looking in this year but has an opportunity to upset two currently ranked Big Ten opponents in the final four weeks (No. 5 UCLA in Week 11, No. 21 Iowa in Week 12). Notre Dame (7-1) plays their most anticipated game of the season this week at home against unbeaten No. 1 ranked Miami before finishing the season with a trio of middling ACC opponents in Boston College, SMU, and Syracuse.
