This playoff game will be a historic one for both programs. Notre Dame will be host to the debut game of the College Football Playoff under the bright lights of the House that Rockne Built, with ticket prices accurately reflecting the magnitude of this game. In this unique in-state matchup, there is actually quite a bit of history to look back on, even though these two teams haven't played since 1991.
Photo by Notre Dame Athletics
Although the schools share the state of Indiana and are only a little over three hours away, these two programs have only shared the field 29 times. In those 29 games, Notre Dame has dominated the matchup, winning 23 of them. Notre Dame also holds the longest win streak in the series with 14 consecutive wins from 1908-1949. Currently, Notre Dame holds a winning streak of six games, dating all the way back to 1951. The first installment of the series debuted more than a century ago in 1898. In that game, Indiana won one of their five games against Notre Dame by a score of 11-5. At the time, Indiana's football program was only 12 years old. Out of Indiana's five wins, four of them happened by 1906. The last time Indiana actually beat Notre Dame was 74 years ago, in 1950.
These programs have a very different histories. Notre Dame is viewed as one of the most traditional and successful programs in the country - a blue blood. On the other hand, Indiana's success is not the norm for this program. Notre Dame ranks fourth in all time wins, while Indiana ranks 126th out of 135. Notre Dame has had 109 All-Americans come through their program, which is first in college football. Indiana has only had seven, ranking 61st overall. This matchup features a lot of interesting history despite the programs only meeting 29 times on the gridiron. Even with that history, Friday's primetime game will surely be the biggest one yet. With that being said, here are a few of series' best game throughout the years.
Notre Dame Separates from Indiana Late, 49-27 (1991)
The latest edition of the series came in Notre Dame's opening game of the 1991 season. Led by Lou Holtz, Notre Dame came into the season as the seventh ranked team in the country. Indiana got off to a hot start, grabbing a 17-14 lead in the second quarter. Notre Dame's superior talent woke up, however, led by Hall of Fame running back, Jerome Bettis. Bettis led the team in rushing with 111 yards. The game also featured a surprise onside kick, dialed up by Holtz, to regain possession and help Notre Dame build a lead. The renewal of the in-state matchup isn't the only reason this game is historic for Notre Dame, it was also the inaugural game for Notre Dame's NBC deal, which is still intact today.
Notre Dame Demolishes Indiana in South Bend, 49-6 (1949)
Notre Dame took care of business in this one en route to Frank Leahy's fourth national championship. At the time, Notre Dame was at the height of their power, and Indiana did not really stand a chance. The game did feature Notre Dame's Leon Hart, a future three time NFL Champion. Hart went on the win the Heisman trophy and became the first overall pick in the NFL draft.
Indiana Edges Out Notre Dame, 11-5 (1898)
In the first game of this series, Indiana earned the win in a low scoring affair. Coming into the game, Notre Dame was missing their starting quarterback and center. As the score shows, Notre Dame felt these injuries and their offense suffered. Indiana was able to take advantage of the big plays with two long runs. One came in the first half where they scored one of their two touchdowns on a 50-yard run. Interestingly enough, there was not a single forward pass recorded in the contest. This game marked the start of this historic in-state matchup, and Friday will mark the latest edition, 126 years later.
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