SEC Program Cancels Home-and-home Series With Notre Dame After New 24-Team Playoff Mandate

February 9, 2021. Florida gave college football fans something to look forward to by announcing a home-and-home series with Notre Dame for 2031 and 2032. Considering both schools have met only once before, these matchups had the potential to create history. Back in the 1992 Sugar Bowl, Notre Dame walked away with a 39-28 victory. So, the chance to see two perennial powers meet again was an exciting prospect. At least, that was the plan when those future dates went on the schedule.

Only, recent developments in the sport ruined their plans. Just a day after news broke that a 24-team College Football Playoff would become reality, reports from the Associated Press emerged that the Gators had decided to pull the plug on the series with Notre Dame. Some might consider this odd, as the SEC wanted more of its team to play against Notre Dame.

So, here’s what happened: When Florida and Notre Dame agreed to play, the SEC still had an eight-game conference schedule. That was no longer the case this season. The move to nine league games left Florida with one less opening on its schedule, and the Gators had to figure out how to fit Notre Dame around nine SEC opponents and their annual game against Florida State. Even an expanded 24-team College Football Playoff didn’t make that a simple decision.

A game against Notre Dame would have given Florida one more shot at a marquee win. And under the new 24-team College Football Playoff format, even coming up short might not have hurt as much. The expanded field could have given the Gators a little more breathing room with a loss on their record. But that won’t happen anymore.

Now that the deal is off, will the Florida Gators owe Notre Dame a fat check for canceling it?

No! The Gators had an escape route built into the agreement all along. The Associated Press reported that the deal had a clause that allowed Florida to get out of it if the SEC expanded to nine games. 

Notre Dame, however, wasn’t even the first casualty of this scheduling diet.

The Gators have already quietly cancelled future series against Arizona State, California, and NC State. The reason was the same: SEC’s evolving schedule.  Interestingly, the deals with these three schools also had escape clauses, which means the Gators were not penalized with fines.

Additionally, there are chances that the games Florida planned against Colorado in 2028 and 2029 could also end up not happening, though there aren’t any reports confirming it yet. 

Notre Dame didn’t sit around crying over the sudden breakup

As an independent program that doesn’t belong to a football conference, the Fighting Irish are master schedulers, and they pivoted almost instantly on Tuesday by calling up the Washington Huskies to fill the void. Washington (who now plays in the Big Ten) will head to South Bend on September 27, 2031, and Notre Dame will travel out to Seattle to play at Husky Stadium on November 11, 2034, though the Irish do still have a remaining hole to plug for that 2032 season.

Both schools have faced each other eight times before. Their very first game took place in 1948, when the Fighting Irish defeated Washington, 46-0. Interestingly, all eight of their games took place when the Huskies were part of the Pac-12. Now, the team has been playing under the Big Ten since 2023. 

However, the Gators-Notre Dame cancelation means one of college football’s rarest matchups is going to stay locked in the vault for a very long time.

Believe it or not, Florida and Notre Dame have only ever played each other once in history, all the way back in the 1992 Sugar Bowl, where Jerome Bettis ran for 150 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Irish to a 39-28 victory over Shane Matthews and the Gators.

For now, a modern rematch between these two powerhouses will remain a dream for fans as the playoff era forces teams to protect their records. Regardless, Notre Dame has ten games scheduled for 2031 and eight for 2032.

Notre Dame: 2031 schedule

Aug. 30 vs USC Sept. 13 vs USF Sept. 24 vs Washington Oct. 11 vs Clemson Nov. 22 vs N.C. State TBD vs Miami (FL) TBD vs Navy TBD vs UNC TBD vs Pitt TBD vs Virginia

Notre Dame: 2032 schedule

Oct. 16 vs Clemson Oct. 30 vs Nebraska TBD vs FSU TBD vs Louisville TBD vs Wake Forest TBD vs at Miami TBD vs at Navy TBD vs at USC

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