Notre Dame, Clemson schedule 12-year football series with ACC revenue-sharing model as motivating factor
Notre Dame and Clemson have agreed to play a 12-year series from 2027-38, sources confirmed to CBS Sports' Brandon Marcello. The Tigers will count as one of five ACC schools that the Fighting Irish play on an annual basis, and Notre Dame also intends on playing Florida State and Miami more often.
The agreement means Clemson will play 10 Power Four opponents each year of the series with Notre Dame, since rival South Carolina is also an annual fixture on the Tigers' schedule. The deal also provides Notre Dame an opportunity to beef up its independent schedule with a consistent College Football Playoff competitor.
"We strive to consistently create a football schedule that positions us for success in the College Football Playoff, and that goal requires us to form historic partnerships like this one with Clemson," Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua said in a statement. "This rivalry has already produced some of the most memorable moments in recent college football history, and our fans deserve these matchups to continue to make those indelible memories."
The ACC's new revenue-sharing model provided an impetus to get the agreement done. As part of a settlement between the ACC and Clemson and Florida State, the ACC will now take 60% of the revenue it generates from its media deal with ESPN and distribute it to schools proportionally based on viewership figures over a rolling five-year period.
So, essentially, the schools that draw more viewers will benefit more from that apportioned revenue. Notre Dame consistently draws plenty of attention, and some of the highest viewership figures, on a weekly basis.
"Even in just the last decade, matchups between Clemson and Notre Dame have produced incredibly memorable moments and games," Clemson AD Graham Neff said. "We have immense excitement for the creation of this 12-year series between these two premier programs, as we know these will be must-see matchups for fans at Memorial Stadium and Notre Dame Stadium as well as television audiences nationwide."
Clemson and Notre Dame also have a recent shared history of high-profile games. They last met in November 2023, a top-20 showdown that saw the Tigers escape with a 31-23 victory. The two also played twice in 2020, including once in the ACC Championship Game — Notre Dame competed in the ACC during the COVID-shortened 2020 season — and in the 2018 College Football Playoff semifinal round.
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