For the first time since 2017, Michigan State and Notre Dame are set to renew their rivalry.
On Thursday, the two schools announced confirmation they will play a home-and-home series in 2026 and 2027. The games have been on the season schedules for at least a decade now as an agreement to play in principle, but without firm confirmation and dates until now.
The first matchup in the new series between the Spartans and Fighting Irish will be on Sept. 19, 2026, at Notre Dame Stadium, with the return trip to Spartan Stadium set for Sept. 18, 2027.
The 2026 game will be 60 years after the iconic 10-10 tie between Notre Dame and Michigan State, which was given the name “Game of the Century.”
“The Michigan State-Notre Dame rivalry is not only one of the oldest rivalries in all of college football, it’s a series that is meaningful to Spartan players and fans alike,” Michigan State Director of Athletics Alan Haller stated. “It’s fitting that the battle for the Megaphone Trophy renews in the 60th anniversary season of the 1966 Game of the Century.”
The last time the Megaphone Trophy was on the line in 2017, Notre Dame handled Michigan State by a final score of 38-18. The Spartans did win the year prior, 36-28, in South Bend. The Fighting Irish have won four of the last five meetings dating back to 2011.
Notre Dame leads the all-time series 49-29-1 over Michigan State. The series dates back all the way to 1897.
