Irish Breakdown

Notre Dame Stadium Set to Kick Off Expanded College Football Playoff Era

No. 7 Notre Dame will play host to No. 10 Indiana to open the College Football Playoff slate
Nick Shepkowski|
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman runs out with his team before a NCAA college football game between Notre Dame and Stanford at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in South Bend.
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman runs out with his team before a NCAA college football game between Notre Dame and Stanford at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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The following press release is courtesy of the University of Notre Dame:

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame football team (11-1) has earned the No. 7 seed in the 2024 College Football Playoff and will host No. 10 Indiana (11-1) in the first-ever playoff game at Notre Dame Stadium on Friday, December 20 at 8 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ESPN/ABC. 

The game will be the first-ever College Football Playoff game to take place on an institution’s home campus. 

Notre Dame and Indiana are meeting for the 30th time, with Notre Dame owning a 23-5-1 record overall: 13-1-1 at home, 6-3 away and 4-1 at neutral sites. The Irish have not met Indiana in the postseason. 

The last meeting between the two teams came on Sept. 7, 1991, a 49-27 Irish win at Notre Dame Stadium. 

The Irish finished the season ranked No. 3 in the Associated Press and No. 3 in the Coaches Poll. Indiana finished the season ranked No. 9 in the Associated Press Poll and No. 9 in the Coaches Poll.

2024 marks the third time Notre Dame has earned a spot in the College Football Playoff (2018, 2020). With the introduction of the 12-team College Football Playoff, Notre Dame is one of four programs to host the first-ever College Football Playoff games at home. 

The winner of the matchup will move on to the Allstate Sugar Bowl and take on No. 2 Georgia on Jan. 1, 2025, in New Orleans, La.

More from Notre Dame on Sports Illustrated

Joel Klatt's Final College Football Top 10 Rankings of Regular Season

Why Notre Dame Deserves the 5 Seed in College Football Playoff

A Look at Notre Dame Football's Worst Case Scenario for Conference Championship Games

Notre Dame First Round Opponent? How Alabama Problem Was Bound to Happen for CFP

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Nick Shepkowski
NICK SHEPKOWSKI

Managing Editor for Notre Dame On SI. Started covering Chicago sports teams for WSCR the Score, and over the years worked with CBS Radio, Audacy, NBC Sports, and FOX Sports as a contributor before running the Notre Dame wire site for USA TODAY.