updated 7:30 p.m. ET Sept. 1, 2004

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Notre Dame has decided to play more football games at home.

The Fighting Irish will begin playing seven home games a year in 2009 instead of the current six. The change likely will mean an easier schedule as the Irish search for three schools a season that won’t be looking for return games.

The athletic department decided after a yearlong review the change would be best for the school competitively and financially, said John Heisler, the associate athletic director who oversees scheduling.

“I think we’re trying to make it more realistic, something that you think is a fair test for your coaches and your athletes,” he said.

Heisler said the change won’t affect traditional rivalries. The school likely will keep the core eight teams now on its schedule: USC, Michigan, Michigan State, Navy, Purdue, Pittsburgh, Stanford and Boston College.

The change will come in the other three games.

Heisler concedes it will be difficult to draw high-quality opponents such as Florida State, Tennessee and Nebraska — all opponents on recent schedules — without giving return games. But he said the Irish could skip a year with one of its core opponents to schedule such games. That would still leave at least two games a year against teams not seeking return games.

Coach Tyrone Willingham said Tuesday he did not think the schedule would necessarily be weaker. But he likes the idea of seven home games.

“I’m trying to convince people to get nine,” he said.

The schedule the Irish are playing now was put together about 10 years ago, when the Irish were still vying most seasons for national championships. They won the national championship in 1988 and finished the season ranked sixth or higher in four of the next five years.

“When you look at our schedule for the last 10 to 15 years, they absolutely were predicated on us being great,” Heisler said.

The Irish, however, haven’t been great. They haven’t finished a season ranked in the Top 10 since finishing No. 2 in 1993 — and for the first time in school history have had three losing seasons in a span of five years.

Just 10 years ago, being named Notre Dame and finishing a regular-season 6-4-1 was enough to get the Irish into the Fiesta Bowl.

“Obviously, that isn’t going to happen now,” Heisler said.

Former coach Bob Davie, who was fired after the 2001 season, said the change in scheduling philosophy is needed.

“I think they’ve come to the realization that scheduling — not just who you play, but when you play them — is critical. It’s evidenced this year with the changing of the BYU game,” he said.

The Irish were supposed to play Brigham Young on Oct. 30, but switched that game to Saturday. The reason for the switch was that the Irish didn’t want to open the season Sept. 11 against Michigan when the Wolverines would be playing their second game.

The switch involved a number of teams changing their schedules. For making the changes, Notre Dame promised games in South Bend to San Diego State and Nevada in future seasons.

“Those are teams you would never think Notre Dame would play,” Davie said. “But that’s just the reality of what it takes now.”

Notre Dame is already trying to change next season’s schedule, which has the Irish opening against Michigan, which would be playing its second game, and playing four of their first five games on the road.

“That’s a pretty tall order for any football team,” Heisler said.

The change in philosophy is also being driven by economics, Heisler said. Aside from football, the only other revenue sport at Notre Dame is men’s basketball. So football pays the bills for the other 24 sports.

Notre Dame players overwhelmingly oppose any easing of the schedule.

“The schedule we play, I wouldn’t trade it for anybody’s,” tailback Ryan Grant said. “I think I’ve played against two Heisman Trophy winners, a bunch of runners-up, national champions, everything across the board. How many people can say that in college football? I’ve competed against the best week in and week out. That’s what I came here for.”

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