The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Clemson Tigers are expected to announce a scheduling agreement in the near future that will ensure the two schools play each other annually through the 2038 season, according to multiple reports.
The Fighting Irish and the Tigers have met periodically over the last decade thanks to Notre Dame's scheduling agreement with the ACC, which requires the program to play at least five conference schools per season. This game will not count against Notre Dame's five required ACC games per season. In addition, the agreement will remain in place regardless of Clemson's conference affiliation in the event of realignment.
The agreement makes sense for both parties. For Notre Dame, the marquee game adds to their strength of schedule as an independent, as any premier game does for the conference-less Irish. For Clemson, there is a significant benefit though. The ACC has begun a new era of revenue distribution - which was meant to entice Florida State and Clemson to remain in the league and drop their lawsuits against the conference regarding the grant of rights. The amended revenue distribution model, which benefits Clemson, is tied in part to television ratings. There's no better way to boost television ratings than to play a national brand in the non-conference schedule like Notre Dame.
The schools last met in 2023 in Death Valley—a game that the Tigers won 31-23. The agreement begins in earnest in the 2027 football season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Clemson's New Scheduling Agreement With Notre Dame Comes With Key Benefit.
