SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) – In just 11 days, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will face off against the Indiana Hoosiers in a highly anticipated postseason matchup at the iconic Notre Dame Stadium. The two teams haven’t met since September 7, 1991, when Notre Dame won 49-27.
The upcoming game, set for Friday, Dec. 20 at 8 p.m. EST, marks the first-ever College Football Playoff game to be held at a team’s home stadium. Notre Dame enters the contest ranked No. 5 in the final CFP standings, while Indiana holds the No. 8 spot. The Irish are the seventh seed, and the Hoosiers are tenth.
Notre Dame has experience at this level, having reached the CFP twice before (2018 and 2020). For Indiana, this is their first-ever playoff appearance, capping off a historic season with more wins than the previous three seasons combined.
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said, “Our guys will be ready to go. The offense has done a really good job with the passing attack, and we’ll come up with a good plan to compete on Friday.”
Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti expressed excitement for the in-state rivalry, saying, “This is the playoffs, you win or go home, and we’re in it to win it.”
The game will be the 30th meeting between the two teams, with Notre Dame leading the series 23-5-1. Most of these matchups have been one-sided, but this year’s game promises to be different as Indiana aims to continue its strong performance under Cignetti’s leadership.
The winner will advance to the Sugar Bowl to face No. 2 Georgia on New Year’s Day in New Orleans.
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