There were whispers that Purdue’s long-standing spot on the Notre Dame schedule was coming to an end. John Taylor over at CFT was all over this, even taking a look back at some of the static created by Wisconsin athletic director (and former Notre Dame coach) Barry Alvarez this summer when rumors of a Wisconsin-Notre Dame game filled some of the offseason lull.
But it looks like Purdue is here to stay. According to an official release from the Boilermakers, Purdue and Notre Dame are locked in until 2021. Here’s the scheduling for one of the longest running matchups in college football:
Sept. 4, 2010 - at Notre Dame
Oct. 1, 2011 (moved from Sept.3) - at Purdue
Sept. 8, 2012 - at Notre Dame
Sept. 14, 2013 - at Purdue
Sept. 13, 2014 - at Notre Dame
Sept. 19, 2015 - at Purdue
TBD 2016 - at Notre Dame
TBD 2017 - at Purdue
Sept. 22, 2018 - at Notre Dame
Sept. 21, 2019 - at Purdue
Sept. 19, 2020 - at Notre Dame
Sept. 18, 2021 - at Purdue
You’ve got to credit (or blame, depending on your point-of-view) Jack Swarbrick for making this happen, as Notre Dame held all the cards in this negotiation. And it looks like Purdue AD Morgan Burke knew it.
“As an independent, Notre Dame is faced with many scheduling challenges, and I think Jack Swarbrick for his efforts in ensuring the series will continue.”
Swarbrick’s ties to the state of Indiana probably played a role in the decision, as well as the fact that this interstate rivalry is one of the longest running in college football. While Notre Dame doesn’t look at Purdue as a natural rival, Purdue certainly does, and I think there are a lot of good reasons why this game should be extended.
Interesting to note that Swarbrick retained some flexibility in scheduling during 2016 and 2017, which keeps the hopes alive of some Irish faithful that are pining for another big nonconference matchup -- like the rumored Texas and Alabama games.
