College football is weird. We live in an era where teams from New Jersey are playing games in Los Angeles every other week, yet two of the biggest brands in the sport—located less than 500 miles apart—haven't played a regular-season game in nearly two decades. I’m talking about Penn State Notre Dame. It’s a matchup that feels like it should happen every single October, under a grey sky with some lake-effect snow blowing around. Instead, it’s a ghost.
The history here isn't just about some trophy or a manufactured "civil war" nickname. It’s about two programs that, for a long time, shared a very specific identity. They were the "Independent" titans of the Northeast and Midwest. Before Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993, these two schools were the gatekeepers of college football relevance for half the country. If you wanted to win a National Championship, you usually had to go through State College or South Bend.
Honestly, the fact that we don't see this game annually is a failure of scheduling and conference politics. But to understand where we're going, we have to look at the weird, bitter, and sometimes legendary moments that defined this series before it went cold.
The 1992 Snow Bowl: A Game That Still Hurts
If you ask a Penn State fan over the age of 45 about the Irish, they won’t talk about stats. They’ll talk about the snow. November 7, 1992. It’s arguably the most famous game in the history of the Penn State Notre Dame series.
The Nittany Lions were ranked 22nd, and Notre Dame was 8th. It was a miserable, slushy day in South Bend. Penn State led for most of the game. Then, Rick Mirer happened. With less than a minute left, Mirer scrambled and found Jerome Bettis—yes, The Bus—for a touchdown. But Lou Holtz didn’t want a tie. He went for two. Mirer hit Reggie Brooks in the back of the end zone, and the Irish walked away with a 17-16 win.
That game basically ended Penn State’s hopes of a major bowl that year and solidified the "Luck of the Irish" narrative that drives Penn State fans crazy. It was peak college football. Raw. Ugly. Emotional.
Why the Series Went Extinct
People always ask why they stopped playing. It’s not one single thing. Basically, it’s a mix of conference alignment and ego. When Penn State moved to the Big Ten, their schedule got locked into a nine-game conference slate (eventually). Notre Dame, meanwhile, has always guarded its independence like a dragon guarding gold.
- Penn State needed home games to pay for Beaver Stadium expansions.
- Notre Dame had existing deals with USC, Navy, and Michigan.
- The "Northeast" footprint became less of a recruiting priority as the SEC rose to power.
We did get a brief home-and-home in 2006 and 2007. In '06, a powerhouse Notre Dame team led by Brady Quinn absolutely dismantled Penn State 41-17. A year later, Penn State got revenge in a 31-10 blowout in Happy Valley. And then? Silence. Since 2007, nothing. No bowl games, no regular-season tilts. Just two massive fanbases staring at each other across the recruiting trails of Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Recruits: The Real Battleground
Even though the teams don't meet on the field, they meet in living rooms every single winter. This is where the Penn State Notre Dame rivalry actually lives today. Look at the rosters. You’ll see kids from Pittsburgh, Philly, and the Jersey shore who had offers from both.
Take a guy like Pat Freiermuth or even historically, someone like Shane Conlan. These are "type" players. Both schools recruit a very specific kind of athlete: high academic standards, tough, often from a Catholic school background in the Northeast. When James Franklin loses a four-star linebacker to Marcus Freeman, it stings just as much as a loss on the scoreboard.
Currently, the Irish have been making massive inroads into Pennsylvania. It’s sort of a "cold war" scenario. Without the actual game to settle the score, the battle is fought in NIL buckets and stadium tour presentations.
The Logistics of a Reboot
Is it ever going to happen again? Maybe. The expanded 12-team College Football Playoff actually makes this more likely, not less. In the old four-team system, losing a tough out-of-conference game was a death sentence. Now? A loss to a top-10 Notre Dame team wouldn't kill Penn State's season.
There have been rumors. Talk of a neutral site game in Philadelphia or even the Meadowlands. But fans don't want that. They want a White Out in State College. They want the golden helmets under the lights at Notre Dame Stadium.
The biggest hurdle is Notre Dame's deal with the ACC. They play five ACC games a year. Add in USC, Navy, and Stanford, and they only have four spots left. Usually, they want those to be "winnable" home games or high-profile rotating series. Penn State is a "high-risk" opponent.
What You Need to Know About the All-Time Series
For the record-keepers out there, the series is shockingly close. Notre Dame leads it 9-8-1. It is one of the most balanced "big-time" series in the country.
- 1913: The first meeting. Notre Dame won 14-7.
- 1980s Dominance: This was the peak. From 1981 to 1992, they played every single year. It was a staple of national television.
- The Tie: 1925. 0-0. Imagine sitting through a scoreless tie in November weather. That’s pure 1920s football.
How to Follow This Matchup Today
Since they aren't playing, how do you track the rivalry? You look at the "Common Opponent" metric. In 2024 and 2025, look at how both teams handled Big Ten opponents like Purdue or USC (who joins the Big Ten officially).
Watching the "strength of schedule" arguments during the CFP rankings release is basically the modern version of the Penn State Notre Dame game. One fanbase will claim they play a "gauntlet" in the Big Ten, while the other will argue that playing a national independent schedule is harder. It's a never-ending debate on social media.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Alumni
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- Track the Transfer Portal: This is the new "game." Players who leave one of these programs often end up looking at the other because the culture is so similar.
- Pressure the ADs: If you’re a season ticket holder, let the athletic departments know. The demand for this game is higher than almost any other non-conference matchup besides maybe Texas/Texas A&M (which finally returned).
- Watch the 2026/2027 Scheduling Windows: Most major programs have their schedules set through 2025. The next real "opening" for a marquee series like this would be the late 2020s.
- Support the Regional Rivalry: Even if they don't play, the regional health of football in the Mid-Atlantic depends on these two being elite. When Penn State and Notre Dame are both top-10 teams, the entire region gets more eyes from recruits and TV networks.
The reality is that Penn State Notre Dame is a game that belongs to the fans, but is currently held hostage by contracts. Until that changes, we’re left with YouTube highlights of 1992 and the hope that the playoff committee forces a matchup in December. That would be the ultimate gift to college football.