It looks as if another piece of Notre Dame’s non-ACC football scheduling has come into place. Ball State has announced an agreement to play at Notre Dame Stadium in early September of 2018, likely locking in the Irish’s second opponent of the season.
The in-state battle will mark the first time the two schools have played each other in football.
“The opportunity to play one of the most storied programs in college football in a historic stadium will be very special for our student-athletes and everyone else associated with Ball State football,” Cardinals head coach Pete Lembo said in the release.
While the Irish’s ACC schedule is locked down through 2019, the non-conference pieces are still coming together. With Georgia on the slate in 2017 and 2019 and a rumored matchup in 2018 against Northwestern potentially lost in the ACC affiliation, some type of certainty—even years in advance—goes a long way.
Of course, not too many headlines are generated scheduling a game against a MAC opponent. Especially in the CFB Playoff era. But the relationships between Notre Dame’s athletic department and the leadership at Ball State likely made this an easy deal to finalize.
Former Irish deputy athletic director Bill Scholl is the AD at Ball State. (Correction: Scholl took over as AD at Marquette in January, Mark Sandy now has the job.) Former SID Brian Hardin is now a deputy athletic director in Muncie as well.
In addition to high-profile non-conference games against Texas (2015, 2016), Ohio State (2022, 2023) and Texas A&M (2024,25), the Irish have agreed to play Miami-Ohio in 2017, presumably reuniting the Irish with former offensive coordinator Chuck Martin.