The Notre Dame Fighting Irish adapted to the fickle sports schedule this year, which proved to work to their benefit. Not only are they playing good ball, they are making historical moves. Cancellations in NCAA conferences prompted a move on Notre Dame’s part that will go down as historical.
This football season, 2020, is the first time in 133-years that Notre Dame has played in an established conference - the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Traditionally, Notre Dame is in an independent subdivision - Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). FBS independent schools are four-year institutions with seven (7) colleges under this umbrella, currently. FBS independents are not required to schedule each other for competition as conference schools are. (source: wikipedia FBS Independent Schools)
FBS Independent Teams
- Army Black Knights – West Point NY
- BYU Cougars – Provo, UT
- Liberty Flames – Lynchburg, VA
- New Mexico State Aggies – Las Cruces, NM
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish – South Bend, IN
- UConn Huskies – Storrs, CT
- UMass Minutemen – Amherst, MA
Notre Dame plans to play as an independent next year. With that said, a lot can happen between now and then!
This season the Irish defeated Duke 27-13, and at 1-0 they have the best winning percentage of ANY ACC member in history! (source: Sports Illustrated) Notre Dame is scheduled to play Alabama Crimson Tide January 11th, 2021 in the Rose Bowl, one of two semifinal games.
Notre Dame's Braden Lenzy, Photo Credit: Quinn Harris
Both teams have historical wins throughout college football history. This will be a nail-biter - an edge of your seat game! I’m excited to watch this match-up. Both teams have worked hard to get where they are, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t rooting for a certain team. With that said, this will be a good game to watch overall for ALL sports fans. Alabama vs Notre Dame’s previous games have been few, but intense!
Here are highlights from previous games since 1973. Historically, Notre Dame leads in wins against Alabama.
Year Played, Game, Score
- 1973 – Sugar Bowl Notre Dame 24, Bama 23
- 1975 – Orange Bowl Notre Dame 13, Bama 11
- 1976 – Sugar Bowl Notre Dame 21, Alabama 18
- 1980 – Notre Dame 7, Alabama 0
- 1986 - Notre Dame 28, Alabama 10
- 1987 – Notre Dame 37, Alabama 6
- 2013 – BCS National Championship Notre Dame 14, Alabama 42
- 2021 – Rose Bowl January 1th AT&T Stadium Arlington, TX (4pm Est)
Clemson Tigers vs Ohio State Buckeyes
The Clemson Tigers (No.2) and Ohio State Buckeyes (No.3) will play each other in the second semifinal game on January 1st, 2021. The winner of each semifinal game will face-off for the National Championship.