Michigan vs. Notre Dame Is Back, Thank The Football Gods
By Ty Duffy
Michigan and Notre Dame are going to play football again. The Wolverines and Irish will play a home-and-home in 2018 and 2019. Notre Dame had pulled out of the series (due to last until 2031) after the 2014 season. Michigan will buy out their series with Arkansas to make it happen (Sorry, Bert).
This is brilliant. The series should never have ended.
Michigan vs. Notre Dame is an actual rivalry. TV networks have done their best to convince us otherwise. But, college football in its blood remains a local sport. The true rivalries have passion and character that can’t be manufactured.
These schools are less than three hours apart. They have similar football traditions. They have similar academic aspirations. They draw students from the same affluent Great Lakes and East Coast enclaves. They don’t like each other. Even the periods Michigan and Notre Dame haven’t played have been tinged by lingering bitterness.
Said bitterness has led to good football. We’ve seen explosive offense. We’ve seen punishing defense. We’ve seen epic endings. The teams have played 31 times since 1978. Twenty-one of those games have been decided by a touchdown or less.
The benefits of Michigan vs. Notre Dame are so manifest even Dave Brandon did not mess with it. Well…that’s an overstatement. He did try to slather it with branding #underthelights and trotted out stupid uniforms. But, he did not want to end it.
Michigan/Notre Dame isn’t ESPN cobbling together two willing opponents at traditional venues like Jerry Jones’ Palace of Overcompensation with exorbitant ticket prices. It means more.
When the ball kicks off in South Bend or Ann Arbor after rousing choruses of “The Victors” and “We Are ND,” more people will be watching.