The University of Nebraska and Notre Dame have agreed to a two-game, home-and-home football series that will bring the Fighting Irish to Lincoln in 2032 before the Cornhuskers head to South Bend in 2033, the schools announced Wednesday.
Long-awaited matchup returns to calendar
Nebraska will host Notre Dame on Oct. 30, 2032, and will make the nearly year-later trip to play in South Bend on Oct. 29, 2033. The contract formalizes a marquee nonconference pairing for the Cornhuskers and marks the first scheduled meetings between the programs since the last home-and-home series in 2000-01.
University of Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen said the matchup made sense for both schools and for fans who plan years ahead for notable games and destinations.
“The series with Notre Dame is the type of matchup that college football fans circle on their calendars years in advance,” Dannen said. “Our fans have a tremendous appreciation for the history of college football and iconic venues. We are excited to welcome Notre Dame and their fans to Lincoln in 2032, and I know our fans will travel to South Bend in full force in 2033.”
Historical context and stakes
Both programs rank among the most successful in college football history. As of the announcement, Notre Dame sits at fourth in all-time victories with 974, while Nebraska ranks eighth with 933. In the poll era, the two schools have combined for 13 national championships — Notre Dame with 8 and Nebraska with 5.
The teams have not met regularly in recent decades; Nebraska won both games of their last home-and-home matchup in 2000-01 and holds a modest unbeaten run in the series dating back to the 1970s. The pairing gives Nebraska another high-profile nonconference opponent amid a scheduling landscape where Power Four matchups are increasingly prized.
Where this fits into Nebraska's schedule plans
The series announcement arrives after a tumultuous scheduling period for the Huskers. Nebraska did not add a Power Four opponent to its nonconference slate for the 2026 season. The program previously had an agreement with Tennessee that would have replaced Bowling Green with a home game this fall and a trip to Neyland Stadium the following year, but Nebraska withdrew from that arrangement citing stadium renovations expected after the 2026 season and was assessed a $1 million penalty.
Instead of traveling to Knoxville, the Huskers will host Miami (Ohio) in 2027. The Notre Dame commitment supplies a marquee matchup several years down the road and ensures high-profile nonconference competition on Nebraska's future schedule.
Fan interest and travel
The schools and the athletic department highlighted the strong fan interest such games generate. The press release notes that roughly 30,000 Nebraska supporters traveled to South Bend when the teams met in 2000, an indication of the potential economic and atmosphere impacts for both host cities when an iconic series is renewed.
- Host: Lincoln, Neb. — Oct. 30, 2032
- Return: South Bend, Ind. — Oct. 29, 2033
- Notable: Nebraska penalized $1 million for backing out of Tennessee agreement tied to renovations
| Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 30, 2032 | Lincoln, NE | Nebraska hosts Notre Dame |
| Oct. 29, 2033 | South Bend, IN | Return trip to Notre Dame |
What to expect next
Formal ticketing, hospitality allocations and travel packages typically follow these announcements, and athletic departments customarily coordinate with local hotels and travel vendors to accommodate visiting fans. Given the documented past turnout and the stature of both programs, the series is likely to draw significant demand from season-ticket holders and alumni networks.
For Nebraska, the games represent more than just competition on the field; they are opportunities to showcase the program and Memorial Stadium, to generate revenue through large-scale attendance and broadcast attention, and to bolster recruiting pitches by demonstrating a willingness to schedule national opponents.
As college football scheduling becomes an increasingly strategic and competitive process, agreements such as this series with Notre Dame carry long-term implications for conference strength of schedule, fan engagement and institutional profile. The earliest of the two games still lies nearly seven years away, but the announcement gives fans and planners a date to mark on their calendars.
Nathan Ackerman, State Correspondent
