Re: 2018 and 2019 and the Irish

I missed this from the official Michigan press release on the Notre Dame night game, hat tip to to mgoblog’s user Firstbase for pointing it out:

The series between Michigan and Notre Dame will remain unchanged through 2017. Michigan and Notre Dame will take two years off, the 2018 and 2019 seasons, to play home-and-home series with other schools before resuming the non-conference rivalry in 2020.

That’s new.  When the contract was signed back in 2007 it was firm for every year until 2031.  That just changed.

I emailed Dave Ablauf in media relations and he confirmed that this was indeed, “added during current discussions between the two schools.”

What we don’t know of course what Michigan intends to do with its open slot (2019), but here’s to hoping it’s a home-and-home against a biggie.  LSU?  Texas?  We’ll see.