A Rare Rose Bowl Return for Notre Dame? Here’s What Must Happen

Notre Dame has only played in the Rose Bowl game twice in program history

Jan 1, 2021; Arlington, TX, USA; General view as official referees meet midfield before the Rose Bowl between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Alabama Crimson Tide at AT&T Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Notre Dame appears headed back to the College Football Playoff as things Saturday went the right way for the Fighting Irish. BYU getting routed by Texas Tech was one of those things while Georgia lighting up Alabama 28-7 was another.

Could that help set the stage for Notre Dame to play in college football's most prestigious bowl game?

Notre Dame's Rose Bowl Possibility

Saturday night, Indiana beat Ohio State 13-10 in the Big Ten championship to clinch a conference title. Indiana will undoubtedly be the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff and will play in the Rose Bowl game on January 1.

Who will Indiana play, though?

Whispers: Notre Dame versus Indiana in the Rose Bowl

— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) December 7, 2025

With Indiana being the No. 1 seed, it will play the winner of the No. 8 vs. No. 9 first round College Football Playoff game. That game could very possibly feature Notre Dame, as the Fighting Irish are likely headed to the No. 9 or No. 10 seed in the postseason tournament.

Obviously, Notre Dame would have to win a first round road game against a formidable foe in order for this to happen. According to most projections that were posted overnight, Oklahoma appears headed for the No. 8 seed.

So put it all together and Notre Dame could be a road win over Oklahoma away from playing in the Rose Bowl.

Notre Dame's Rose Bowl History

Notre Dame played in the program's first Rose Bowl all the way back on New Year's Day 1925. That day the famed Four Horsemen road to a 27-10 victory over Stanford to help secure Notre Dame's first national championship under legendary head coach Knute Rockne.

Since then, the Rose Bowl switched to being a Big Ten vs. Pac 8/10/12 matchup almost exclusively, until relatively recent years.

Notre Dame played in the Rose Bowl only one other time, at the end of the 2020 season as it played No. 1 Alabama in the College Football Playoff. The only problem with that, was that due to Covid, the game was moved from its regular setting in Pasadena, California to the domed AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

It might have technically been a Rose Bowl trip, but it hardly had the feel. Not that Notre Dame fans want to remember that game anyway, as Alabama gashed its way through the Irish, winning 31-14.

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Thoughts:

January 1, 2010; Pasadena, CA, USA; The sun sets during the game between the Oregon Ducks and the Ohio State Buckeyes during the second half of the Rose Bowl game. Ohio State defeats Oregon 26-17. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

After starting 0-2 it almost feels like a small miracle of sorts that Notre Dame is in any position to play in the College Football Playoff. Marcus Freeman again rallied the troops though, and the Irish have won 10-straight games entering the postseason.

That's sweet in and of itself but adding in what could potentially be Notre Dame's first trip to Pasadena (not to play UCLA, anyway), in just over a century would be that much sweeter.