Could a Future Notre Dame Opponent Cancel? Connecting the Dots

Notre Dame and Indiana met in last year's College Football Playoff, with the Fighting Irish jumping out to a 27-3 lead before cruising to a 27-17 victory over the Hoosiers. Indiana was the love-story of much of college football last year, as the traditionally woeful program put up an 11-win regular season and reached the expanded playoff.

Notre Dame and Indiana are set for a rare home-and-home series in 2030 and 2031, but is that a guarantee to happen? Recent moves by the Indiana football program would certainly seem to suggest otherwise.

Indiana's Canceled Games of 2024, 2025

Notre Dame and Louisville play in 202 — Sep 28, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Louisville Cardinals running back Isaac Brown (25) runs the ball against Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Rylie Mills (99) in the third quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. | Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

Indiana was supposed to have a three-game series with Louisville from 2023 to 2025, but just one of those games will end up being played. The two met in Indianapolis in 2023, but Indiana backed out of the home-and-home portion, citing Big Ten expansion as the reason.

Indiana's non-conference schedule in 2024 instead featured the likes of Florida International, Western Illinois, and Charlotte.

This fall the Hoosiers will play Old Dominion, Kennesaw State, and Indiana State to open the season.

Louisville isn't a football powerhouse by any means, but when compared to what Indiana has set up these two years, it looks like 2019 LSU.

More Cancellations by Indiana

To start the week, Indiana did it again. The Hoosiers have backed out of a home-and-home with another football powerhouse (sarcasm font), Virginia, to set up a significantly easier non-conference slate.

Indiana cancels home/home series w/Virginia in 2027-28 & must pay Cavs’ $500,000 for canceling series, @michaelniziolek reports. Instead, Indiana has added home games w/Kennesaw State in 2027, Austin Peay in 2028 & Eastern Illinois in 2029
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) July 15, 2025

Indiana certainly seems to have a thing for scheduling the almighty Kennesaw State lately. Perhaps the two can start playing for a rivalry trophy each year?

What is clear is that Curt Cignetti and Indiana are trying to make the easiest non-conference path as possible with the lowest risks of speed bumps imaginable.

Will Indiana and Notre Dame Ultimately Play?

Notre Dame and Indiana play in the 2024 College Football Playof — Indiana Hoosiers defensive back Jamier Johnson (9) and defensive back Terry Jones Jr. (12) tackle Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jadarian Price (24) during the first half of a game between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in first round of the College Football Playoff on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in South Bend. | Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Based on actions, Indiana isn't serious about competing for a Big Ten championship in football. It won't play decent Power Four teams out of conference, let alone elite ones. That might set up Indiana for a situation like last year, where it can withstand a regular-season loss at Ohio State and still make the playoff, but it's not built with a real plan to compete against championship-level teams.

Cancelling a series against Notre Dame would bring significantly more pushback than canceling Virginia, but based on recent events, would anyone be surprised if Cignetti sought dates with Southeast Missouri State and Wabash College instead?

Cignetti loves himself some Cignetti and talks like Indiana is a new force in college football, when the fact of the matter is, if Illinois had its schedule last year, then Brett Bielema very possibly would have a College Football Playoff appearance under his belt.