:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/42397272/456234214.0.jpg)
Notre Dame is supposed to play five ACC football games per year from now until forever. This you know. But what we didn't know until now was WHEN those games would occur. Now, we do. At least through 2025, anyway.
Today, the ACC and Notre Dame went ahead and ended some of the mystery around this sort-of membership scheduling arrangement, and even better: they added dates to some of these games too (the ones through 2019, anyway). So if you want to know what you're doing on some September Saturday in five years, you're now covered. Y'know, like other football conferences do...
Here's the full slate. We'll get into some thoughts below, too:
2015 (six games)
September 12: Notre Dame at Virginia
September 19: Georgia Tech at Notre Dame
October 3: Notre Dame at Clemson
November 7: Notre Dame at Pittsburgh
November 14: Wake Forest at Notre Dame
November 21: Notre Dame vs. Boston College (Fenway Park)
2016 (five games)
September 24: Duke at Notre Dame
October 1: Notre Dame vs. Syracuse (MetLife Stadium)
October 8: Notre Dame at NC State
October 29: Miami at Notre Dame
November 19: Virginia Tech at Notre Dame
2017 (five games)
September 16: Notre Dame at Boston College
October 7: Notre Dame at North Carolina
October 28: NC State at Notre Dame
November 4: Wake Forest at Notre Dame
November 11: Notre Dame at Miami
2018 (five games)
September 22: Syracuse at Notre Dame
October 13: Notre Dame at Virginia Tech
October 20: Pittsburgh at Notre Dame
November 10: Florida State at Notre Dame
November 17: Notre Dame at Wake Forest
2019 (six games)
September 2: Notre Dame at Louisville, 9/2 (Labor Day)
September 28: Virginia at Notre Dame
October 19: Notre Dame at Georgia Tech
November 2: Virginia Tech at Notre Dame
November 9: Notre Dame at Duke
November 23: Boston College at Notre Dame
2020 (five games)
TBD: Notre Dame at Wake Forest
TBD: Notre Dame at Pittsburgh
TBD: Duke at Notre Dame
TBD: Clemson at Notre Dame
TBD: Louisville at Notre Dame
2021 (five games)
September 6: Notre Dame at Florida State
TBD: Notre Dame at Virginia Tech
TBD: North Carolina at Notre Dame
TBD: Notre Dame at Virginia
TBD: Georgia Tech at Notre Dame
2022 (four games)
TBD: Notre Dame at North Carolina
TBD: Notre Dame at Syracuse
TBD: Boston College at Notre Dame
TBD: Clemson at Notre Dame
2023 (six games)
TBD: Notre Dame at NC State
TBD: Notre Dame at Duke
TBD: Notre Dame at Louisville
TBD: Wake Forest at Notre Dame
TBD: Notre Dame at Clemson
TBD: Pittsburgh at Notre Dame
2024 (four games)
TBD: Miami at Notre Dame
TBD: Notre Dame at Georgia Tech
TBD: Florida State at Notre Dame
TBD: Virginia at Notre Dame
2025 (five games)
TBD: Notre Dame at Miami
TBD: NC State at Notre Dame
TBD: Notre Dame at Boston College
TBD: Notre Dame at Pittsburgh
TBD: Syracuse at Notre Dame
***
So in terms of Syracuse playing Notre Dame, this will still happen four more times through 2025, including one "home game" at MetLife Stadium in 2016, and a true home game at the Carrier Dome in 2022. The odd range of four-to-six games per year also works out for the ACC, believe it or not. If you include this year's four games, that's 60 contests in the 12-year span (average of five games per year). It doesn't seem like every team gets the full five games, though (obviously, because of 14 teams... doesn't work out to five each until 2027)... so go Syracuse for getting the full number because of the NEW YORK MARKET.
The real downside here, however, is that Notre Dame still largely sets the ACC schedule for it -- not the other way around. They have certain stipulations they'd like each year's slate to meet, and once they ensure that, THEN (and only then) can the ACC move forward with its own scheduling plans. That's one of the main reasons why the ACC doesn't release their schedules as far in advance as other leagues. So, moving back toward positive things, maybe this prompts the league to schedule out further so fans can better plan travel? We can hope...