Could More Notre Dame Games Get Moved In 2020?
During an interview with Mike Tirico of NBC Sports, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly noted that the program would prefer that its currently scheduled games in NFL stadiums be moved back to college campuses.
Right now there are four Notre Dame games scheduled to be played in NFL Stadiums.
Sept. 26 vs. Wake Forest - Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
Oct. 3 vs. Wisconsin - Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisc.
Oct. 17 vs. Pitt - Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Nov. 14 vs. Georgia Tech - Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Ga.
These are the four games Kelly mentioned in his interview with Tirico.
"I think Jack Swarbrick will have a lot of conversations about if those games are going to stay in NFL stadiums," Kelly said.
Wake Forest and Georgia Tech are considered the home teams for their contest against Notre Dame and the decision would ultimately be up to them and the ACC. But we have seen in the past that Notre Dame director of athletics Jack Swarbrick certainly has some sway with the ACC.
Moving Pitt would be difficult because the Panthers play all of their home games at Heinz Field and no longer have a stadium or field on campus.
The Wisconsin game is one that Notre Dame has some level of control over since it is technically a home game for the Irish. If the game were to be moved it would be moved back to Notre Dame Stadium.
Irish Illustrated writer Tim O'Malley recently discussed the possibility of that game being moved, but Green Bay Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy said in the last week he still expects the game to be played on his team's home field as previously scheduled.
"I'm glad you brought this issue up, Matt. There was a report last week that erroneously stated that the Wisconsin-Notre Dame game this year would be played in South Bend rather than Lambeau Field. We have talked to representatives from both Notre Dame and Wisconsin, and they've confirmed that they are still planning to play the game at Lambeau Field. I do think that college football will be played this year. Like the NFL, the colleges have three months before the football season will start, and we will both be able to learn from the other sports over the next few months to see what works and doesn't work in terms of holding games. The colleges also have the issue of whether their campuses will be open to students, which may impact the decision of whether to play games. Obviously, the key factor here will be the status of the virus and how our efforts at slowing the spread have worked."
Kelly's comments would make it seem that O'Malley was indeed correct and that this game has a strong chance of being moved.
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