College Football Powerhouses Urged to Revive Historic Rivalry

Rivalry games are the life blood of college football, and what gives so much intensity to the history of the game and the passion of its fans.

But as the sport evolves into its modern form, with all the various pressures placed on it by outside forces, many schools have seen fit to put their historic rivalries to one side.

That includes the on-again, off-again, long-running hostilities between Michigan and Notre Dame, a series that began way, way back in 1887 and continued, albeit with a few pauses here and there, until 2019.

Notre Dame, Michigan share history

In fact, Notre Dame’s first-ever game was played against Michigan, when two former Irishers who were attending UM pitched the idea to the South Bend school to play this new game called football.

Michigan’s boys even taught the Notre Dame guys how to play before they took the field, and the historic matchup ended with an 8-0 victory for the Wolverines in front of about 500 people.

But the meeting helped serve as the foundation for two schools who would go on to define the game of college football for the next century-plus.

Bring it back

Unsurprisingly, this rivalry was included in a list of those that should be brought back to the field as soon as possible, according to a new USA Today list.

“Notre Dame used to play USC, Michigan, Penn State, and Miami, all in the same season,” noted the USA Today blurb.

It added: “Come 2027, the Irish are scheduled to play none of those teams... Golden Domes vs. Maize and Blue was once appointment viewing, and it would be again if the teams had the nerve to schedule each other.”

The series has had its pauses in the past, going on hiatus from 1909 to 1942, then again from 1943 to 1978, so it’s not uncommon for the Irish and Wolverines to drift apart.

Freeman wants a reunion

For his part, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman has indicated that he prefers the Fighting Irish get back to playing Michigan more frequently.

“I remember growing up watching Michigan play Notre Dame. That is such a great rivalry. You talk about two iconic programs,” Freeman said last season in a conversation with Bussin’ With The Boys.

“I would love to see that happen in the future, and I don’t know if there’s discussions. I don’t know if it’s on our future schedule, but now that you say that, I think it is on our schedule in like 2030 or something like that. We have to get that back going.”

Get it back going they will, but not for several years yet.

The next scheduled game between these two programs is set for Sept. 3, 2033 in Ann Arbor, and then again on Sept. 2, 2034 in South Bend. Until then, nothing. And after that, who knows?

(USA Today)