It’ll have been nearly two decades since the two schools have played, but Notre Dame and Northwestern are set to renew their interstate “rivalry”.
The latter announced via a press release Thursday morning that the Wildcats and Fighting Irish have reached an agreement on a future home-and-home series. The 2014 game will be played on Nov. 15 in South Bend, while the 2018 game will be played at Ryan Field in Evanston. No date was given for the second game in the series.
“This is really an exciting time for Chicago’s Big Ten team as we continue to upgrade our future nonconference schedule,” said NU athletic director Jim Phillips. “With schools such as Boston College, California, Syracuse and Vanderbilt visiting Ryan Field in future years, combined with the addition of Nebraska to our division in the Big Ten, there’s no better time to be a Wildcat football fan.
“We’re excited about this series and having Notre Dame make its first visit to Evanston since 1976. Northwestern and Notre Dame represent two of the finest academic institutions in the nation, and it’s only fitting that we renew our rivalry on the football field.”
While the two schools have met 47 times previously, they have not played since a 17-15 NU win in 1995. The Irish hold the lead all-time at 37-8-2.