Notre Dame and Michigan State renew rivalry

Notre Dame and Michigan State will renew their fiercely contested rivalry in the 2026 and 2027 seasons. In the two-game home-and-away series announced this week, the Fighting Irish will host the Spartans on Sept. 19, 2026. The following year, Michigan State will welcome Notre Dame to East Lansing on Sept. 18, 2027. Game times and broadcast channels will be announced at a later date.

The two teams first met in 1887 and have faced each other 79 times since then. This is the fourth-winningest series in Irish football history. The first game ended with a 34-6 victory for the Irish. Since 1949, the winner has been awarded the Megaphone Trophy. The Irish currently hold the trophy after winning the last time they met. The Irish defeated the Spartans 38-18 in East Lansing in 2017. Notre Dame leads the all-time series with a record of 49-29-1. Michigan State’s last win in the series was in 2016 in South Bend when they defeated the Irish 36-28. Since the Megaphone Trophy was introduced, Notre Dame holds a record of 33-27-1.

Rivalry between Notre Dame and Michigan State flares up again

The series between Notre Dame and Michigan State has been absent from the schedule in recent years. That’s in part because Notre Dame is committed to playing five ACC teams each year. That agreement has limited the Irish’s ability to schedule regular season games against their Big Ten rivals, including Michigan State, Michigan and Purdue. The two teams played consecutively from 1959 to 1994. After a two-year hiatus, they resumed play with another 17 consecutive meetings that ended in 2013.

The 2016 and 2017 games were part of a home-and-home series, as will the upcoming 2026 and 2027 games. Overall, Notre Dame holds a 249-131-16 record in program history against the Big Ten. In response to the announcement on X, former Notre Dame quarterback and current college football analyst Brady Quinn wrote, “I love this! @MSU football is always a battle. I hope we can bring back more of these rivalries.”

“Game of the Century”

The 2026 game marks the 60th.^th Anniversary of the memorable “Game of the Century.” The two teams battled to a 10-10 tie at Spartan Stadium in 1966. Notre Dame was ranked No. 1 and Michigan State was ranked No. 2. The tie dashed both teams’ hopes of a perfect season.

“The rivalry between Michigan State and Notre Dame is not only one of the oldest rivalries in all of college football, it is also a series that is meaningful to Spartan players and fans alike,” Michigan State athletic director Alan Haller said in a press release. “It is fitting that the battle for the Megaphone Trophy will resume in its 60th year.^th Anniversary season of the “Game of the Century” of 1966.

Fans of Notre Dame and Michigan State will certainly be looking forward to this game with great anticipation. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman has a ton of young talent that should emerge between now and the 2026 season. Some young players to keep an eye on include CJ Carr, Jerome Bettis Jr., Bryce Young and Kennedy Urlacher. Additionally, Jadarian Price and Jaden Greathouse – both sophomores this season – should still have an impact on the Irish offense if the series continues.

The series between Notre Dame and Michigan State builds on the traditions of the past and promises to be another great non-conference clash for college football.