Florida and Notre Dame will play a home-and-home football series in 2031 and 2032, the universities announced Tuesday.
The Gators will begin the series in South Bend, Indiana,on Nov. 15, 2031. The Irish will then come to The Swamp on Sept. 11, 2032.
The series is another prestigious non-conference opponent on Florida’s future schedule. The Gators are set to play a home-and-home with the Texas Longhorns in 2030 and 2031, meaning Florida will travel to two of the most historic programs in collegiate history in the same year (2031).
The Gators played Notre Dame just once in their history, meeting in the 1992 Sugar Bowl. The game featured two future hall-of-fame coaches in Steve Spurrier for Florida and Lou Holtz for Notre Dame. The No. 18 Irish, led by future NFL hall-of-famer Jerome Bettis, took down No. 3 UF, 39-28.
The series should bring national attention for both schools. Notre Dame currently has a contract with NBC that runs through 2025, but an extension is expected to be signed. The partnership has existed since 1991 and has provided massive amounts of money for both parties. Former Notre Dame receiver Paul Hornung once said in an interview “Money is the name of the game, and people want to see Notre Dame.”
The history of each school alone is worth the games being on a national stage. Notre Dame football has existed since 1899. The Irish have claimed 11 national titles, the last coming in 1988. They have also developed seven Heisman trophy winners, the latest being Tim Brown in 1987. The Gators, meanwhile, have won three national titles and have had three Heisman trophy winners.
Athletic director Scott Stricklin has made a point to bolster Florida’s non-conference opponents. Since he was hired in November of 2016, the Gators have scheduled close to a dozen opponents who don’t come from the SEC. Besides Texas, Florida also has games set with Colorado, Utah, Arizona State, Cal, Miami and NC State spread out over the next decade. Lesser opponents scheduled include USF and Charlotte, as well as the annual battle with Florida State.
Contact Michael Hull at mhull@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @Michael_Hull33
Michael Hull is a fourth-year journalism sports & media major and a sports writer at The Alligator. He hosts the weekly sports podcast and has worked on staff for five semesters. In the past, Hull has served as the sports editor, the men's and women's golf beat writer, the volleyball beat writer and the football beat writer.
