By Kyle Golik
With the news Clemson and Notre Dame are set for a 12-game series, what other dream matchups of college football lore need to do the same?
During this time in college football, power schools dealing with super conference slates and playoff jockeying typically don’t want to make their schedules harder. While Notre Dame is contractually obligated to play six ACC opponents, they decided to make Clemson one between 2027 and 2038 seasons.
“Even in just the last decade, matchups between Clemson and Notre Dame have produced incredibly memorable moments and games,” Clemson athletic director Graham Neff said. “We have immense excitement for the creation of this 12-year series between these two premier programs, as we know these will be must-see matchups for fans at Memorial Stadium and Notre Dame Stadium as well as television audiences nationwide.”
“We strive to consistently create a football schedule that positions us for success in the College Football Playoff, and that goal requires us to form historic partnerships like this one with Clemson,” said Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua. “This rivalry has already produced some of the most memorable moments in recent college football history, and our fans deserve these matchups to continue to make those indelible memories.”
Clemson and Notre Dame are two of the nation’s winningest programs in both recent history and college football history. Clemson ranks 13th all-time with 808 wins and three national championships. Notre Dame ranks fourth in total victories with 962 and has 11 national championships.
Since 1970, Notre Dame has 467 wins and Clemson has 458, and both teams have earned three national championships.
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With Clemson and Notre Dame deciding to square up, here are five other blue blood matchups we would like to see.
Vince Young’s championship drive vs #1 USC
— College Football Report (@CFBRep) August 26, 2023
1️⃣ Day until CFB pic.twitter.com/FGLQGZ9ErU
No. 5: Texas vs. USC
The aura of the 2006 Rose Bowl will always surround when USC and Texas square off. The fact this matchup could be the Steve Sarkisian redemption matchup, making it all the more intriguing.
Sarkisian coached USC between the 2014 and 2015 but was later dismissed after violating a zero tolerance policy for his substance abuse issues. The redemption of Sarkisian to prove what he could have been for USC and what he currently is with Texas would make this a fun matchup.
What USC currently has is Lincoln Riley, who is a “quarterback whisperer” in his own right. Riley is looking to turn the corner fast in Troy. Riley could hearken back to his Oklahoma days where Riley won five of six against the Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry and a 2018 Big 12 Championship game victory.
© Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images
No. 4: Tennessee vs. Ohio State
If there is any lasting memory of the first round of the CFP it would have to be how the fans between Tennessee and Ohio State interacted with one another. There was almost immediate disdain and the proximity of the two schools could spark an intense rivalry almost instantly.
The only other time these two teams have met was in the 1996 Citrus Bowl where both teams were ranked in the top 5. Tennessee caught Ohio State after the Tim Biakabutuka 313-yard performance in “The Game” against Michigan to knock Ohio State out of the Rose Bowl.
Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning connected with wide receiver Joey Kent on a 47-yard touchdown, along with two Jeff Hall field goals that gave Tennessee a 20-14 win to cap an 11-1 season.
© Birmingham News file photo Bernard Troncale
No. 3: Penn State vs. Alabama
Those of a certain age will remember the landmark series that Penn State and Alabama put together between 1981 and 1990. It was almost unheard of for an SEC team to engage in a long home-and-home series with an Eastern Independent (Penn State did not enter the Big Ten until 1993) that was sort of an upstart.
While Penn State had put together an amazing decade throughout the 1970s, this kind of series would have been like if Alabama, under Nick Saban, agreed to a 10-year set against Boise State at the height of their powers under Chris Petersen.
During this decade-long series it produced some iconic moments for both sides, whether it was Paul “Bear” Bryant winning his 314th game to tie Amos Alonzo Stagg with the most in college football at the time in 1981.
In 1983, the controversy whether Alabama quarterback Walter Lewis’ pass to tight end Preston Gothard was complete and inbounds is one that brings the Crimson out in all Tide fans.
Penn State fans always feel blue when remembering Alabama Thomas Rayam’s “desperation block” on the final play of the 1989 classic.
University of Michigan
No. 2: Notre Dame vs. Michigan
The series between Notre Dame and Michigan has endured many hiatuses and the two teams will renew again in 2033 and 2034, but this should be played every single year.
Grant you, the series wasn’t an annual affair until 2002 to 2019, but the game always had national championship implications (since it always was played early prior to conference play for Michigan) and the loser was left reeling.
With the advent of the CFP, the two could square off and not hurt each other’s chances.
Historically, Michigan and Notre Dame are in the top 4 in wins, winning percentage and national championships. The memories of the duels between Bo Schembechler and Lou Holtz along with dynamic playmakers like Raghib Ismail and Desmond Howard will forever be a signature to this rivalry.
© The Oklahoman Archives/The Oklahoman File Photo
No. 1: Nebraska vs. Oklahoma
Back in 2022, I wrote a literal digital tome by today’s standards outlining the “Battle of the Big Reds.”
Nebraska drew first blood by exiting the Big 12 for the Big Ten after the 2010 season, but Oklahoma may have sealed it with their entrance into the SEC for the 2024 season. While Nebraska was down as a program, the blood still boiled from a time gone by as the two programs faced off again for a two-game set in 2021 and 2022.
Still the coaching rivalry of Tom Osborne (Nebraska) and Barry Switzer (Oklahoma), despite being one sided for Switzer—who won 12 of 17 against Osborne—was one of the biggest draws in the history of college football.
Whether it was 1978 duels where Osborne finally clipped Switzer when Billy Sims fumbled late in the fourth quarter to give Nebraska their first win since the 1971 “Game of Century” against Oklahoma or Switzer returning the favor later in the Orange Bowl that season in which both schools agreed to the rematch that saw Oklahoma dart out to a 31-10 lead, and Nebraska running out of time despite losing by seven.
Barry Switzer’s “tacos” moment on “The Bob Devaney Show” prior to the 1980 “Taco Bowl” clash, ruining Nebraska jokes that Oklahoma would have to figure out where to find good Mexican food in El Paso, Texas, led to Switzer’s now famous quip of “Are there any good Mexican restaurants in Miami?”
The annual Big 8/Big 12 clash featured two “Game of the Century” clashes and the winner got the Orange Bowl.
