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Notre Dame–Stanford football rivalry

Notre Dame Fighting Irish Stanford Cardinal
First meeting	January 1, 1925 Notre Dame 27, Stanford 10
Latest meeting	October 12, 2024 Notre Dame 49, Stanford 7
Stadiums	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, Indiana, U.S. Stanford Stadium Stanford, California, U.S.
Trophy	None (1925–1988) Legends Trophy (1989–present)
Statistics
Meetings total	38
All-time series	Notre Dame leads, 23–14 (.622)
Trophy series	Notre Dame leads, 20–13 (.606)
Largest victory	Notre Dame, 57–7 (2003)
Longest win streak	Notre Dame, 7 (2002–2008)
Current win streak	Notre Dame, 2 (2023–present)

The Notre Dame–Stanford football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team of the University of Notre Dame and Stanford Cardinal football team of Stanford University. As of 2023, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Stanford Cardinal have met 37 times, beginning in 1925 (though the modern series began in 1988). The Notre Dame–Stanford game has been played annually since 1997, with the teams meeting at Notre Dame Stadium earlier in the season (late September to mid-October) in even-numbered years, and at Stanford Stadium on the weekend following Thanksgiving in odd-numbered years since 1999. The game typically alternates positions in Notre Dame's schedule with its other former Pac-12 opponent, USC.

Trophy

The winner of the game gains the Legends Trophy, a Dublin Irish crystal bowl resting on a California redwood base. The trophy was presented for the first time in 1989 by the Notre Dame Club of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Series history

The series began on January 1, 1925 (the end of the 1924 season) when Notre Dame's Four Horsemen and head coach Knute Rockne faced Stanford's Ernie Nevers and head coach Pop Warner at the 1925 Rose Bowl. Notre Dame's 27–10 victory earned their first-ever national title and the first of four national titles to come via bowl victories.

After the two teams' first meeting at the 1925 Rose Bowl, they did not play each other again until 1942. They did not meet again until playing two games in 1963 and 1964. Those four games were the only games before the modern series began. Notre Dame and Stanford have played the modern series annually since 1988 (except in 1995 and 1996). The series is renewed through at least the 2024 season, however the 2020 game was canceled as part of the Pac-12 Conference's decision to cancel all non-conference games because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Game results

As of 2024, Notre Dame leads the series 24–14, though the Cardinal lead 8–6 in the last fourteen games (8–7 if Notre Dame's vacated 2012 victory is included). The Fighting Irish hold the longest win-streak in the series, with seven wins from 2002 to 2008. The Cardinal's longest win streak were a pair of 3-win streaks from 2009 to 2011 and from 2015 to 2017. The back-to-back wins in 2009 and 2010 were the school's first consecutive victories in the series. Notre Dame is 13–5 at home (14–5 if Notre Dame's vacated 2012 victory is included) while the series is tied 9–9 at Stanford. Notre Dame won the only game played at a neutral site at the 1925 Rose Bowl.

Game notes

1. The only shutout of the series
2. The first meeting of the modern series
3. The start of a five-game streak in which the away team won
4. Stanford's first win in the modern series
5. First time both teams were ranked entering the game
6. The start of a seven-game streak in which the home team won
7. The start of a seven-game winning streak for Notre Dame – the longest streak in series history
8. The first victory for an away team since 1993
   The largest margin of victory in any game of the series
9. Notre Dame fires coach Charlie Weis two days later
10. Stanford's first win streak in the series
    The largest margin of victory for Stanford in the series
    Stanford's first win at Notre Dame since 1992
11. Second time both teams were ranked entering the game
12. Second straight time (and third time ever) both teams were ranked entering the game. Notre Dame forced overtime on a field goal with 20 seconds left after their drive was extended by Tyler Eifert drawing a pass-interference call on Terrence Brown. In OT, Irish quarterback Tommy Rees, replacing an injured Everett Golson, connected with T. J. Jones for a touchdown. Stanford had a chance to tie to force a second overtime, but after four straight runs by Stanford RB Stepfan Taylor, his final effort was ruled short of the goal line. The last play was reviewed and upheld, though the ruling met with controversy after the game.
13. Third straight time (and fourth time ever) both teams were ranked entering the game
14. Fourth straight time (and fifth time ever) both teams were ranked entering the game. Third straight game decided by one score or less.
15. Fifth straight time (and sixth time ever) both teams were ranked entering the game.
16. Seventh time both teams were ranked entering the game.
17. Eighth time both teams were ranked entering the game, but first time both were ranked in the top 10 entering the game.
18. Notre Dame's first win at Stanford since 2007

See also

• List of NCAA college football rivalry games

Notes

1. Notre Dame's win in 2012 was vacated as a result of NCAA sanctions against the Notre Dame football program issued on November 22, 2016, after the NCAA found that a student-trainer committed academic misconduct for two football players and provided six other players with impermissible academic extra benefits. The NCAA also rejected Notre Dame's appeal on February 13, 2018. This win is not included in Notre Dame's all-time record, nor is it counted in the series record between the two teams. See Misplaced Pages:WikiProject College football/Vacated victories for an explanation of how vacated victories are recorded.

References

1. ^ "Winsipedia - Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Stanford Cardinal football series history". Winsipedia.
2. ^ "Stanford Game Notes". University of Notre Dame Official Athletics Site.
3. A picture of the Legends Trophy is available here.
4. "Notre Dame at Stanford". Sports Illustrated/CNN. November 24, 2001. Archived from the original on March 14, 2002.
5. "College Football "Eithers": Rivalries Re-Loaded". Rogue Mentality. November 27, 2009.
6. Rick Eymer (October 6, 2006). "Stanford hoping to survive a tough football trip to Notre Dame". Palo Alto Weekly.
7. "Cardinal, Irish look for positive finishes". San Mateo Daily Journal. Associated Press. November 24, 2007.
8. ^ "Notre Dame-Stanford series – College Football". Yahoo! Rivals.
9. Erin McGinn (September 25, 2010). "Long history between Notre Dame and Stanford". WNDU-TV.
10. "The Palo Alto Connection". One Foot Down. August 15, 2010. Archived from the original on October 18, 2010. Retrieved November 25, 2010.
11. ^ "Stanford Football Media Guide". Stanford University Athletics.
12. "Notre Dame confirms it has not retained Charlie Weis". USA Today. November 30, 2009.
13. "Goal line call secures Notre Dame's win over Stanford (VIDEO)". USA Today. October 14, 2012.
14. "Notre Dame's controversial goal-line stand secures overtime victory vs. Stanford". AOL. October 13, 2012.
15. "Pereira: Irish lucky on two big calls". Fox Sports. October 14, 2012.
16. "Stanford-Notre Dame ends on controversial replay ruling (Video)". Larry Brown Sports. October 13, 2012.
17. "NCAA orders Notre Dame Fighting Irish to vacate wins from 2012, 2013 seasons". ESPN. November 22, 2016.
18. Low, Chris (June 16, 2009). "What does vacating wins really mean?". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
19. Taylor, John (July 4, 2009). "Vacated Wins Do Not Equal Forfeits". NBCSports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
20. "Stanford-Notre Dame Series Extended Through 2019". Stanford University Athletics. May 19, 2011. Archived from the original on November 19, 2012.

• College football rivalries in the United States
• Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
• Stanford Cardinal football