TCU and Notre Dame Exploring Future Football Game

For a very long time, I couldn't imagine myself going to college anywhere but South Bend. While my friends were watching Saved By the Bell and various cartoons every fall Saturday, I was glued to NBC and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. I subscribed to Blue and Gold Illustrated, I had a Play Like a Champion sign above my bed, and I could tell you every player on their roster. I was obsessed. But when it came time to choose my collegiate home, Indiana seemed so far away and so... well, cold... that I explored other options. One of those other options was TCU, and once I visited, I was in love. My dream of attending Notre Dame became a reality of becoming a Horned Frog, and I have no regrets.

But... it would still be pretty cool to see a game there. Especially one that involved TCU. So imagine my utter and absolute glee when news came down that the Frogs and Irish could be working out a future football game, maybe even a home and home series.

According to Mac Engel of the Fort Worth Star Telegram, Notre Dame has reached out before about TCU coming to Indiana to play in front of Touchdown Jesus - and though the first suggested date conflicted with the Frogs Big 12 schedule - the talks have continued.

Notre Dame Stadium remains worthy of a road trip and should be on a fan’s bucket list.

For TCU, there is a distinct possibility for such a road trip.

According to sources at both schools, the Irish have politely reached out to TCU about being their guest in South Bend. But TCU could not accept that first invitation because the desired date conflicted with TCU’s Big 12 schedule.

In a testament to the evolution of TCU’s brand, there is still a chance the Horned Frogs could land a date, or dates, with the Irish.

The Frogs have a pretty ambitious out of conference schedule, that is jam-packed with Power 5 opponents for the next decade. So any possible game, one off or series, would need to be in the not so near future.

That leaves us with open dates for a major conference opponent in both 2025 and 2026, in between the home and home series with Stanford - a traditional ND rival in their own right. On the Irish's side, things are a bit trickier. Though they are technically an independent school, they are a partial member of the ACC, and thus play four to six 'conference' games per year. The Irish have an even fuller schedule than TCU and a traditional Power 5 team; between their ACC contractual games and traditional rivals, there just isn't a lot of room on their schedule.

The first easily available date comes in 2025, when TCU is wide open as far as out of conference opponents are concerned - assuming conferences are still a thing nine years from now. The Irish have Purdue, Texas A&M, Navy, and USC already scheduled for home games, as well as ACC match-ups at Boston College, at Miami, at Pittsburg, and home verses NC State and Syracuse. This seems to lead easily into a visit to Texas, if they don't mind playing two Lone Star State teams in the same season, and a matchup against TCU at Amon G Carter could slide pretty seamlessly into week one of the schedule. Unfortunately, it also sets up extraordinarily well for a College Football Kickoff game/Shamrock Series matchup between the two teams at AT&T stadium to start on the season on a Thursday or Saturday night.

If Notre Dame were to make the trip to Fort Worth in 2025, the Frogs could return the favor a year alter, when the Irish have only a neutral site game with Purdue and a location to be announced meeting with Michigan State. Though the ACC portion of their schedule hasn't been set, it's reasonable to assume a home game with the Frogs would work.

One last wrench in the system is the announcement that Michigan and Notre Dame will resume their long held rivalry by returning their annual series in 2018. While they have only scheduled games for '18 and '19, it will likely continue past those dates.

Ultimately, this would be a great move for both programs. Notre Dame is still a huge name and a massive draw, and one of the most impressive names in college football. It says a lot about TCU that they are interested in scheduling the Frogs, and the opportunity to play a historically great program - especially in a home and home scenario - would pay huge dividends nationally for the Frogs. And for the Irish, who have recruited Texas well in the past and are already looking to make stronger inroads by scheduling a two game set with the Aggies, playing one of the more successful teams in the state that happens to reside in one of the biggest markets and hottest talent beds certainly wouldn't hurt.

Personally, I couldn't plan a trip to South Bend fast enough if this was announced, so me and my Tim Brown autographed gold helmet will be waiting with baited breath for the official word to come down.