Notre Dame Needs a New Rival: An SEC Candidate for Discussion

With USC up and vanishing from Notre Dame's schedule, the Fighting Irish are in need of a new annual rival. Here's a look at what teams from the SEC could make sense for Notre Dame.

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman during the Blue-Gold spring game at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, April 25, 2026, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A look at Notre Dame's future schedules in football now has a glaring hole with the absence of USC.

After the two rivals couldn't agree on extending the nearly century-long rivalry earlier this off-season, the future of the game being played at all remains very much in jeopardy.

While USC went and added almighty San Jose State to its schedule to replace Notre Dame, the Fighting Irish booked a trip to take on a strong BYU team this fall.

The BYU rivalry won't be for long, though, and Notre Dame could be looking for a new rival to help with annual scheduling.

A 12-year deal with Clemson has already been announced, but all of a sudden, Clemson is looking more like a slightly above-average Power Four program than the perennial national championship contender it had become for the last decade.

The SEC Team I'd Like to See Notre Dame Play Regularly

I get that in modern college football, the idea of Notre Dame playing a 20-year series with a powerhouse program that isn't considered a traditional rival is far-fetched.

There is a team in the SEC that would be a perfect program for Notre Dame to have on the schedule more often, though, and it just so happens the Fighting Irish just completed a home-and-home series with it last year.

Aug 31, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (4) runs the ball for a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Texas A&M as a Regular Notre Dame Opponent

Maybe it's because two thrilling games came down to the wire between Notre Dame and Texas A&M in the last two years, but a regular matchup between these two would be great for a variety of reasons, but here is why regularly playing Texas A&M would make sense for the Fighting Irish.

Simply Put: An Extremely Good Opponent

Notre Dame's goal isn't to have a schedule that looks like 2026's annually. It instead wants to play more teams that will compete for something more than just bowl eligibility, like a large chunk of the 2026 slate would be thrilled to do.

Texas A&M looks to finally be taking that big step as a program under Mike Elko. Instead of being the "little brother" of Texas football, it has a chance to make

Gets Notre Dame Into Texas in Major Way

It's crazy to think a few short years ago Notre Dame's recruiting presence in Texas was next to non-existent. That has changed since the head coach changed and now the Fighting Irish are regularly pulling talent out of the football-crazed state.

Notre Dame getting a game at Texas A&M every few years would be massive for it to keep those recruiting gains in the Lonestar State. Proof of concept is best seen up close and you can't tell me that Notre Dame's win at Texas A&M in 2024 didn't help move the meter in a major way for Fighting Irish recruitng.

Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M - Could it Happen Regularly?

It'll be hard to see Notre Dame get an annual replacement for USC, but if it were to, Texas A&M provides not only a quality opponent, but a lot of good that comes with the game.

With the SEC switching its schedule to a nine-game conference season though, it's hard to imagine a program getting locked into one non-conference opponent for extended time.

In the cases of Florida and Georgia, laws are in place where they each have to play in-state rivals out of conference, but no such thing would ever exist regarding Notre Dame on an SEC team's schedule.

I think looking back, Texas A&M saw the value of beating Notre Dame early in the season last year. Instead of beating up on Southwest Texas Eastern State University Academy, Texas A&M got credit for a major win and played a big factor in it getting a home game in the Playoff.

I doubt you'd ever see Notre Dame and Texas A&M able to work something out on the regular, but based off the success both teams had after beating one-another the last two seasons, it would make a lot of sense for both to get this game on the schedule a lot more frequently than for a home-and-home every quarter century.

Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M - All-Time Results

Notre Dame leads the all-time series with Texas A&M, 4-3.

January 1, 1988: Texas A&M 35, Notre Dame 10 (Cotton Bowl)
January 1, 1993: Notre Dame 28, Texas A&M 3 (Cotton Bowl)
January 1, 1994: Notre Dame 24, Texas A&M 21 (Cotton Bowl)
September 2, 2000: Notre Dame 24, Texas A&M 21 (South Bend)
September 29, 2001: Texas A&M 24, Notre Dame 3 (College Station)
August 31, 2024: Notre Dame 23, Texas A&M 13 (College Station)
September 13, 2025: Texas A&M 41, Notre Dame 40 (South Bend)