Notre Dame will open the 2027 season at home for the first time in the Marcus Freeman era, with Kent State coming to Notre Dame Stadium in Week 0 on Aug. 28, according to a contract amendment obtained by FBSchedules.com.
That setup is a notable break from the recent pattern. The Irish have not started a season in South Bend since the 2020 COVID-19 season, when they opened at home in the House that Knute Rockne Built. Since 2021, Notre Dame’s first games have come away from home or at a neutral site: at FSU in 2021, at Ohio State in 2022, against Navy in Dublin in 2023, at Texas A&M in 2024 and at Miami in 2025.
The Kent State game had previously been set for Oct. 2.
It was added in May, and it came with a couple of familiar ties for Notre Dame. The Golden Flashes are the alma mater of the late Lou Holtz, the legendary Fighting Irish coach who died in March.
Freeman also has a link to Kent State from his own coaching past, having worked there as linebackers coach from 2011-12.
The matchup also adds another name to Notre Dame’s already wide-ranging schedule history. By playing Kent State in 2027, the Irish will have faced their 90th program among the current 138 FBS teams, which is fourth all-time behind Georgia, Ohio State and Michigan.
FBSchedules.com reported that under the original game contract, Notre Dame would pay Kent State a $1.3 million guarantee for the game.
Notre Dame’s 2027 schedule currently includes: Aug. 28 vs.
Kent State
Sept. 4 vs.
Purdue
Sept. 18 at Michigan State
Sept. 25 vs. Auburn
Oct. 9 vs. Wake Forest*
Oct. 30 at Clemson
Nov. 6 vs.
Virginia Tech
Nov. 20 vs.
Navy
Nov. 27 at Stanford
TBA at Virginia
TBA vs.
BYU
TBA at Duke
*Denotes a neutral site matchup in Charlotte for the Duke's Mayo Classic.
In Other News...
Indiana Escaped Michigan But A Bigger Hoosiers Concern Just Grew
Indiana got what it came for in Ann Arbor, leaving with a 13-6 overtime win over Michigan and another victory to keep the season rolling at 7-1. The defense did the heavy lifting, tightening at key moments and delivering the stop the Hoosiers needed in overtime after a game that never really let the offense settle in.
Josh Hoover and the passing game were the bigger concern even in a win, with the offense sputtering for much of the afternoon. Hoover finished 8 of 18 for 81 yards, a touchdown and an interception, and while Indiana will happily take the result, the way it got there leaves plenty for the Hoosiers to sort out if they want to keep climbing. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana-Michigan Sparked Another Officiating Debate Fans Will Recognize
The second quarter at Michigan offered Indiana something every road team will happily take and every fan base will immediately scrutinize: a roughing-the-passer flag that extended a drive and helped the Hoosiers turn it into three points. Fox analyst Joel Klatt did not hide his frustration with the call on Michigan freshman Tariq Boney, saying it was the kind of penalty that can swing a game and echo the broader officiating complaints viewers have heard in other matchups this season.
For Indiana, the result was a 6-0 edge at that stage, but the larger conversation quickly moved beyond the scoreboard. Klatt pointed to the growing pattern of similar penalties and the way they can hand out free yards at the exact moment a defense believes it has made the stop it needs. Indiana will gladly accept the field position and points, but the debate over where the line is drawn on those hits is likely to linger long after this trip to Ann Arbor. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Coach Just Made Indianas Statement Win Look Even Bigger
Kyle Whittingham did not spend much time sugarcoating Michigans 13-6 overtime loss to Indiana, and that only made the Hoosiers result look more impressive in hindsight. The Michigan coach pointed to his teams problems on the ground, its red zone issues and the turnovers that kept the offense from ever finding a rhythm, a blunt acknowledgment of how hard Indiana made things on a night when points were already at a premium.
Even in defeat, Whittingham still praised Michigans defense and said he remains confident in the programs overall quality, which only underscores how well Indiana handled the bigger picture. Michigans offense has been stuck near the bottom nationally in success rate, EPA per play and yards per game, and Indiana still dragged the game into overtime before finishing it off, turning what looked like a sturdy win into one that now reads as a statement. [Read more 🡒]