August 30th (Home Game)
Team: Rice
Colors: Blue & Gray
Mascot: Owls
Conference: Conference USA
Pre-Season Ranking: Not Ranked. They are defending conference champions and are coming off of a 10 win season.
Rivalry: Notre Dame leads 4-0-0
Tailgating Tips: As this is the first game, you MUST participate in all game day festivities from early wake-ups to tailgating to the alma mater. This is one of the only games you’ll be able to wear shorts and dresses. If you’re going to wear a dress, wear some spandex shorts underneath to be stadium push up ready!
September 6th (Home Game)
Team: Michigan
Colors: Maize & Blue
Mascot: Wolverines
Conference: Big Ten
Pre-Season Ranking: Not Ranked (It’s the Notre Dame-Michigan game, so it doesn’t matter it’ll be close.)
Rivalry: Michigan leads 24-16-1
Tailgating Tips: This is a night game, that means 7:30 pm kickoff. So that means, PACE YOURSELF. YOU CANNOT MISS THIS GAME. The student section needs to be A.R.A.P. (As Rowdy As Possible)! You actually have to make it into the stadium for your rowdiness to count. Also, since this will without a doubt be the biggest game in the great state of Indiana that weekend, watch out for excise police! They do actually exist unfortunately.
The “Big House” last year during the Notre Dame game. Notre Dame Stadium is a (smaller) replica of this.
*Why this game is so important: THIS IS THE LAST TIME WE ARE SCHEDULED TO PLAY MICHIGAN AND THEY HAVE ACCUSED US OF “CHICKENING OUT.”
September 13th
Team: Purdue
Colors: Old Gold & Black
Mascot: Boilermakers
Conference: Big Ten
Pre-Season Ranking: Not Ranked
Rivalry: Notre Dame leads 57-26-2
Trophy: Shillelagh Trophy
*Shamrock Series Game: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
Notre Dame’s 2014 Shamrock Series uniforms
September 27th
Team: Syracuse
Colors: Orange, White, & Navy
Mascot: Orange
Yes, it really is an orange… with legs.
Conference: ACC
Pre-Season Ranking: Not Ranked
Rivalry: Series Tied 3-3-0
October 4th (Home Game)
Team: Stanford
Colors: Cardinal & White
Mascot: Cardinal (& Stanford Tree)
Conference: Pac 12
Pre-Season Ranking: #11
Rivalry: Notre Dame leads 18-10-0
Trophy: Legends Trophy–Irish Crystal glass on a California redwood base
Tailgating Tip: Last time we played Stanford at home, we rushed the field when we won! Dress accordingly! It’s always one of the biggest games of the season.
Throwing it back to College Gameday before the 2012 Stanford game.
Not my most phtotgenic moment, but hey, I RUSHED THE FIELD!
October 11th (Home Game)
Team: North Carolina
Colors: Carolina Blue & White
Mascot: Tar Heels
Conference: ACC
Pre-Season Ranking: #23
Rivalry: Notre Dame leads 16-2-0
Tailgating Tip: October is the perfect month for football. By this time, you’ve been to a few tailgates and you know the drill. Make this game day count, it’ll be the last one for a month at home! Also, it’s the Saturday before midterms week…
October 18th
Team: Florida State
Colors: Garnet, Gold, White, & Black
Mascot: Seminoles
Conference: ACC
Pre-Season Ranking: #1
Rivalry: Florida State leads 5-2-0
*Florida State Seminoles are the defending national champions, so this is a crucial game. It’s also the first Saturday of Fall Break. Fall break in Florida anyone?
They have fireworks too.
November 1st
Team: Navy
Colors: Navy Blue & Gold
Mascot: Midshipmen (& Bill the Goat)
Conference: Independent
Pre-Season Ranking: Not Ranked
Rivalry: Notre Dame leads 74-12-1
Trophy: Rip Miller Trophy
Fun Fact: Notre Dame will play Navy every year, unless Navy decides to opt out, because Navy kept Notre Dame from closing during WWII by making the campus a training center. Notre Dame considers it a “debt of honor,” and will not break the open invitation for the yearly game. Another thing to thank the Midshipmen for.
November 8th
Team: Arizona State
Colors: Maroon & Gold
Mascot: Sun Devils
Conference: Pac 12
Pre-Season Ranking: #19
Rivalry: Notre Dame leads 3-0-0
November 15th (Home Game)
Team: Northwestern
Colors: Purple & White
Mascot: Wildcats
Conference: Big Ten
Pre-Season Ranking: Not Ranked
Rivalry: Notre Dame leads 37-8-2
Fun Fact: We have not played Northwestern since 1995, when Northwestern beat Notre Dame 17-15 in what the Chicago Sun-Times called the “Upset of the Century.”
November 22nd (Home Game)
Team: Louisville
Colors: Red & Black
Mascot: Cardinals (Cardinal as in the bird, not the color like Stanford)
Conference: ACC
Pre-Season Ranking: Not Ranked
Rivalry: First game!
Tailgating Tip: Last home game of the season! As always, it’s the Saturday before Thanksgiving. My professors always seem to give the second round of midterms in those two days before break, so as always don’t over do it. But more relevant to this game specifically, bet on bundling up. Last year at the BYU game this same weekend, it snowed. No amount of tailgating can keep you warm when it snows in the stadium.
Fun Fact: For the freshmen that don’t know, this is the seniors’ last game. On Senior Day, the senior players and their parents are featured before the game (so, try and get there in time to see that!) and the senior students have a marshmallow fight in the fourth quarter.
November 29th
Team: USC
Colors: Cardinal & Gold (think ketchup & mustard colors really)
Mascot: Trojans
Conference: Pac 12
Pre-Season Ranking: #15
Rivalry: Notre Dame leads 45-35*-5 *Includes the Bush Push game of 2005
Trophy: Jeweled Shillelagh
Tailgating Tip: If you’re from Southern California, go. It’s Thanksgiving weekend, so if you know anyone who’s a student at USC, there’s most likely going to be a lot of students selling their tickets really cheap because they’ll be home for the holiday!
ND at USC 2012, the game that took us to Miami back when we were the #1 team in college football… and Manti’s girlfriend was still real.
Alright collegiettes, now buy those cute blinged-out face stickers, grab your besties, and you’re all ready for football season! Make sure to take lots of pictures! Football season is almost upon us! It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
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Images 1 provided by author, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 provided by author, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 provided by author