Clemson and Notre Dame just scheduled a 12-year series starting in 2027.
Clemson and ND are set to announce a 12-year scheduling agreement that will run from 2027-2038, pitting the two national brands against each other annually. Boon to Clemson with new “brand based” revenue distribution in ACC.
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(@ADavidHaleJoint) May 6, 2025
It’s a big-time win for both schools.
Whether the SEC goes to 9 games, which makes it harder to schedule OOC with games them, Clemson is covered with a quality schedule. The South Carolina game isn’t going away, and now Clemson is assured of a quality non-conference game with Notre Dame. If Clemson does move conferences, that game comes with them, and that creates value. If Clemson stays in the ACC for a period of time, it will create additional revenue for them through the ACC’s brand initiative.
Notre Dame, and sure I wish they’d join the ACC, will remain steadfastly independent, and this is another step towards that. The Irish will likely ink more games with FSU and/or Miami, too. Add that to their usual ACC schedule, they will only have to schedule 4 or 5 additional games a year as Navy likely stays on their schedule. Who isn’t going to add Notre Dame to their schedule? The SEC and Big 10 may limit games with Notre Dame, but they won’t lock them out. Notre Dame can easily add a series with other ACC teams if they wish. The Irish have created the template to maintain their independence.
What about the ACC as a whole?
According to David Hale of ESPN…
A bit of clarity from ACC: Clemson’s previously scheduled games vs. ND will count toward the 5 the Irish have to play vs. the conference each year. The new games added in this agreement will not.
Well, it’s not a bad thing for the ACC, but I’m not sure how much it gains the conference. In the short term it does help some. Until the details of why the settlement was reached, we just don’t know how it fits, but Clemson is in the ACC right now. These Clemson home games currently end up on ESPN’s family of networks, and not Fox. It further relegates the scheduling for the Big 12, further distancing themselves off the P2 radar. Consistently, the Big 12 can’t get SEC games, and they can’t get Big 10 games, and they can’t get Notre Dame. Who is that league going to schedule OOC?
It’s certainly not a big win for the ACC, not in the way it was Clemson and Notre Dame, but a benefit- yea there’s some.
