Who has Notre Dame played the most? Irish football's biggest rivals, from Pitt to USC
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Arguably the biggest game during Week 12 of the 2025 college football season won’t be in Athens, Georgia or Tuscaloosa, Alabama, but in western Pennsylvania, at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers.
There, Notre Dame will look to win its eighth consecutive game and keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive when it takes on a Pittsburgh team on Saturday, Nov. 15 at Acrisure Stadium.
The game, which is serving as the host site for ESPN’s “College GameDay” this weekend, has significant stakes. A loss to the 23rd-ranked Panthers (No. 22 in CFP) would likely knock the 9th-ranked Fighting Irish (No. 9 in CFP) out of playoff contention, while Pitt — even in a non-conference game — can continue its push to a playoff berth and extend its midseason surge under star freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel.
The matchup’s one of the most notable between Notre Dame and Pitt in recent memory, but far from the only one they’ve ever had.
While historic rivals such as USC are more closely associated with Notre Dame, Pitt is actually one of the Fighting Irish’s most commonly played opponents in the program’s illustrious history. Saturday’s meeting will be the 74th between the schools in a series that dates all the way back to 1909 and has featured some of the greatest football players of all-time, from Dan Marino to Joe Montana to Tony Dorsett (all Pittsburgh-area natives).
Before Notre Dame and Pitt kick off, here’s a look at the Fighting Irish’s most frequently played opponents:
Notre Dame historic rivalries
Navy (98 games)
Notre Dame leads the all-time series against the Midshipmen by a sizable 84-13-1 margin, and has won 13 of the past 14 meetings, including a 49-10 victory last Saturday.
USC (96 games)
The future of the series between the Fighting Irish and Trojans is in peril, which could bring one of college football’s most iconic rivalries to a temporary halt. Notre Dame leads the series 53-38-5.
Purdue (89 games)
The battle between northern Indiana’s two biggest college football programs has been waging since 1896. It hasn’t been a particularly close fight, though, with Notre Dame holding a 61-26-2 record that includes victories in the past 10 meetings.
Michigan State (79 games)
The Fighting Irish and Spartans were once fixtures of each other’s schedules, but the two sides haven’t faced off since 2017. Notre Dame leads the all-time series 49-29-1.
Pitt (73 games)
The Fighting Irish have a 51-21-1 all-time record against the Panthers and have been especially successful of late, winning seven of the eight matchups since 2010. Notre Dame has won the past two games against Pitt by a combined score of 103-10.
Army (52 games)
Notre Dame has not one, but two service academies among its most frequently played all-time opponents. The Fighting Irish are 40-8-2 all-time against the Black Knights and have won 16 straight meetings in the series since 1965.
Northwestern (49 games)
Notre Dame, Chicago’s most popular college football team, has dominated its series against Northwestern, the Chicago area’s only Power Four college football team, with a 38-9-2 all-time record.
Michigan (44 games)
The Fighting Irish and Wolverines used to meet almost annually, with 31 games between 1978 and 2014, but haven’t played since 2019. It’s also the rare series in which Notre Dame has a losing record, with Michigan holding a 25-18-1 all-time advantage.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What schools has Notre Dame football played the most?
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