Aug 30, 2014; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Malik Zaire (8) runs the ball against the Rice Owls in the fourth quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame won 48-17. Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

Notre Dame Finalizes New 2026 Opponent, 2 Openings Remain

Originally posted on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI
By Nick Shepkowski | Last updated Jul 4, 2025 5:24 PM ET

Notre Dame is one step closer to completing its 2026 football schedule, as on Thursday, it was announced that Rice will travel to South Bend next season. The two will meet on Sept. 12 at Notre Dame Stadium in what will be the sixth meeting all-time between the two programs.

Notre Dame leads the all-time series 5-0, with the most recent win coming in the 2014 season opener, a 48-17 Fighting Irish win. The two have also met in 1988, 1974, 1973, and 1915, with Notre Dame's 10-3 win in 1974 easily being the closest game.

Schedule update

We will host Rice in 2026 ☘️

Rice
South Bend, Indiana
9/12/2026#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/rJTsfQW7db
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) July 3, 2025

Notre Dame now has 10 set opponents for the 2026 season, but the annual trip to California to close the regular season is not currently part of it. Notre Dame's deal with USC is not agreed upon after this coming fall in South Bend, and the future of the nearly century long rivalry is very much up in the air.

As of now, Notre Dame's 2026 schedule goes as follows:

Sept. 6: vs. Wisconsin (Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisc.)
Sept. 12: vs. Rice
Sept. 19: vs. Michigan State
Sept. 26: at Purdue
Oct. 3: at North Carolina
Oct. 31: vs. Navy (Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.)
Dates TBA:
at Florida State
vs. Miami (FL)
vs. SMU
at Syracuse

This article first appeared on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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