Lansing Sun

Michigan State and Notre Dame have announced a renewal of their football rivalry with a home-and-home series scheduled for 2026 and 2027. The Spartans will visit Notre Dame Stadium on September 19, 2026, and will host the Fighting Irish in East Lansing on September 18, 2027.

The two teams have faced each other 79 times since their first meeting in 1897. Michigan State ranks second among all opponents in victories over Notre Dame with 29 wins, trailing only USC's 38 victories. Notre Dame leads the overall series with a record of 49-29-1.

Since 1949, the winner of the Michigan State-Notre Dame game has been awarded the Megaphone Trophy. This trophy is sponsored by the Detroit alumni clubs of both schools and features half blue with a gold ND monogram and half white with a green MSC monogram. All previous game scores are listed on the trophy.

The rivalry saw uninterrupted play for several decades: from 1959 to 1994 and again from 1997 to 2013. Their last encounter was also a home-and-home series in 2016 and 2017, where both teams won their respective away games.

The upcoming series will coincide with the fall of the famous "Game of the Century" between No.1 Notre Dame and No.2 Michigan State that ended in a historic tie on November 19,1966 at Spartan Stadium.

"The Michigan State-Notre Dame rivalry is not only one of the oldest rivalries in all of college football; it's a series that is meaningful to Spartan players and fans alike," said Michigan State Vice President and Director of Athletics Alan Haller. "It's fitting that the battle for the Megaphone Trophy renews in the 60th anniversary season of the1966 Game of the Century."