The Michigan Wolverines are one of the biggest brands in all of college football. With the most wins in college football history — the only school to reach the 1,000-win mark, doing so back in 2023 — and one of the most iconic helmets and jersey combos in the sport, the Block M holds a lot of weight in the Big Ten and in college football as a whole.
One of the Wolverines’ oldest rivals in football is another iconic brand — the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Their first meeting dates back to 1887, an 8-0 win for Michigan in South Bend. It’s been an on-again, off-again rivalry for quite some time, but the Wolverines and Irish played each other nearly every year from the 198os up until 2019, which was the last time these two programs met on the gridiron (a 45-14 win for Michigan in a rain-soaked Big House).
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The next time these two teams are scheduled to face off is 2033 in Ann Arbor, meaning we have to wait another eight years for this rivalry to be renewed. But could it happen sooner than that? Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman was on Bussin’ With The Boys with Will Compton and former Michigan Wolverine Taylor Lewan, and he was asked about if he wants to see the rivalry come back.
Needless to say, it was an emphatic “yes” for him.
“Huge proponent (of the rivalry returning),” Freeman said. “Yeah, absolutely. I remember growing up watching Michigan play Notre Dame. And that is such a great rivalry, you talk about two iconic programs. I would love to see that happen in the future … we have to get that back going.”
I grew up watching Michigan vs Notre Dame every single year, much like Freeman, and it’s a shame the rivalry ever went away to begin with. Obviously the decision to bring it back isn’t up to Freeman, but hopefully the decision-makers at both universities heard him loud and clear and bring it back sooner than 2033.
Would you want Michigan vs Notre Dame to return? Let us know what you think down in the comments.
