Notre Dame announces extension of Stanford series for two years, schedules Kent State

Notre Dame has announced three future scheduling matchups for the 2027 and 2028 seasons. Most notably, the series against Stanford will continue for at least two more years.

The two sides announced the Legends Trophy Rivalry has been extended. The Fighting Irish will play in Stanford Stadium on Nov. 27, 2027. Then the Cardinal will return for a game at Notre Dame Stadium on Oct. 14, 2028.

In addition, Notre Dame has scheduled a game against Kent State for the 2027 season. That game will be played on Oct. 2, 2027.

As for the Stanford rivalry series, the 2027 and 2028 meetings will be the 41st and 42nd in the storied history between the two programs. The Fighting Irish currently lead the overall series 25-14-0. The two programs have met every season since 1998 with the exception of the COVID-19 2020 campaign.

The series itself is named after two coaching legends. Notre Dame’s Knute Rockne and Stanford’s Pop Warner met in a 1924 contest that ended with a 27-10 Irish win. The Legends Trophy was born.

In recent series history, Notre Dame has had the upper hand. The last three meetings have gone the way of the Fighting Irish, including a 42-20 win in 2025.

In terms of the Kent State series, that meeting will be the first ever for the Fighting Irish. It will mark the 90th different current FBS program that the Irish has faced — of 138 total.

Only three FBS teams have faced more programs in history: Georgia (97), Ohio State (96) and Michigan (95). So Notre Dame is entering some rarefied air.

Of note, Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman has some personal ties to the Kent State program. He served as a linebackers coach for the Golden Flashes from 2011-12.

Notre Dame is 11-1 against current teams from the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The Irish’s last contest against a MAC opponent came against Miami University on September 21, 2024, when Notre Dame defeated the Redhawks 28-3.