Notre Dame, Wisconsin announce neutral site series beginning 2020
By John Buhler
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will play the Wisconsin Badgers on the gridiron in a two-part series at iconic NFL stadiums beginning in 2020.
One would think that two Midwestern football powers like the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Wisconsin Badgers would play more often. Not since a three-game series from 1962 to 1964 have these two football teams met on the gridiron.
On Monday, both schools announced that they meet on the football field in the not-so distant future. Both football powers will play in two of the NFL’s most iconic stadiums in a two-part series beginning in 2020.
In 2020, the Fighting Irish and the Badgers will square off on October 3 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, home of the NFC North’s Green Bay Packers. A year later, they will meet again this time on September 25 at Solider Field in Chicago, home of the NFC North’s Chicago Bears.
The idea is that both schools will get to play in a major NFL city at what is a neutral site. Technically, the 2020 game in Lambeau favors the Badgers, who play ball in the Wisconsin state capital of Madison. Even though South Bend is in Indiana, it’s not that far from Chicago.
What’s really cool about this two-part series is that it won’t take place during Labor Day weekend slate of games in major college football. The Power 5 has done a terrific job of making that a must-watch weekend for their sport, but interest dies down a tad in September before conference play really begins.
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Since Notre Dame is a national independent, the university has to get creative with their scheduling. With the Fighting Irish being a member institution of the ACC in all other sports, they play teams like Boston College and Miami with regularity. These were two former rival schools of the Fighting Irish when all were national independents in the 1980s.