A Brief History of the Stanford-Notre Dame Rivalry

These two schools have a storied history

Notre Dame linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa (27) tackles Stanford wide receiver Elic Ayomanor (13) during 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

Coming off of a win over Cal, the Stanford Cardinal are gearing up for arguably their toughest game of the season—a home game against No. 9 ranked Notre Dame. One of college football's most historic rivalries, Notre Dame and Stanford have faced each other annually since 1997 where they play for a trophy dubbed the Legends Trophy.

A game that pushes both teams to the limit, this year's matchup will be no different.

First meeting on January 1, 1925, the Cardinal and Fighting Irish have faced each other a total of 38 times, with the Irish leading the series 23-14. But since the Legends Trophy became the annual trophy in 1989, the Irish lead 20-13.

Stanford's last win over Notre Dame came during the 2022 season, where on the road, the Cardinal pulled off an upset by winning 16-14. Currently however, the Irish have a two-game winning streak, winning last year's game 49-7 and 2023's game 56-23. The spread in this game is expecting a similar game to play out on Saturday.

The longest streak that Notre Dame has held over Stanford was from 2002-08, where the Irish won seven matchups in a row over the Cardinal including winning 57-7 at Stanford in 2003. This was also Notre Dame's largest ever victory over the Cardinal.

In the seasons in which Notre Dame hosts (even numbered years), the game is played earlier in the season around September or October. But in odd years where Stanford hosts, the game is played the weekend following Thanksgiving.

The series came to fruiton at the end of the 1924 season, when a group of Notre Dame football players dubbed the 'Four Horsemen' and their head coach faced off against Stanford coach Pop Warner in the 1925 Rose Bowl.

Notre Dame won 27-10 en route to winning their first-ever national title. But after that game, the two schools would not meet again until 1942 and then again in 1963 and '64. Those were the last four games to be played before the current modern series began in 1988.

However, the two teams did not meet in 1995, 1996 or 2020. The latter was due to COVID after all non-conference games were cancelled by the then Pac-12. But in every other year, the two schools have played each other, with the rivalry renewed set to renew once more on Saturday evening at Stanford Stadium.

For years, both programs have been in different states, with Notre Dame a perennial contender and Stanford in the midst of a rebuild. But one thing is for certain each and every year—whenever these two teams match up, it brings out the best in both sides. This year's game has a lot of implications for both teams, making it a must-watch contest.