Notre Dame fans will experience something entirely new once the College Football Playoff gets underway.
The announcement of the CFP seedings and pairings on Sunday brought with it a very unusual arrangement. The Fighting Irish will face Indiana at home on ESPN on Dec. 20, making it the first time since 1990 Notre Dame will play a home game that is not broadcast by NBC.
ESPN broadcasting Indiana vs. Notre Dame to open the Playoff will be the first time someone besides NBC has broadcast a game from Notre Dame Stadium since 1990.
— Douglas Farmer (@D_Farmer) December 8, 2024
NBC has had exclusive rights to all Notre Dame home games since the start of the 1991 season in one of the more unique broadcasting arrangements in college football. The lucrative deal has allowed Notre Dame to remain independent, while the wide interest in the school’s football team has been very good for NBC. Because the CFP has its own television contract, however, that deal supersedes Notre Dame’s NBC agreement. NBC does not have any share of the CFP television rights, with ESPN and TNT splitting the games.
This game will be the only Notre Dame home game for ESPN, even if the Fighting Irish advance. Their quarterfinal game would be at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La. against Georgia if they are able to get past Indiana.
