College rivalries draw attention and rouse both players and fan bases. Schools compete for trophies and bragging rights in games that embrace the big moments. Former Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love can reflect on his career. Before he enters the 2026 NFL Draft, Love sat down to give his opinion on which team he would like to see his alma mater battle in the future.
Former Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love Wishes for Michigan Rivalry
Love played 41 games as a member of the Fighting Irish. In a sit-down with J.D. PicKell, the star rusher listed the Wolverines as the team that he would have loved to play on a yearly basis.
Jeremiyah Love, when asked by @jdpickell which team he’d like to see annually on Notre Dame’s schedule if it can’t be USC:
Michigan. pic.twitter.com/kRf2rjSMW2
— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) April 7, 2026
Love told PicKell that if the schedule cannot include USC every year, he would choose Michigan. The two teams have a storied history, but they have not met on the gridiron since 2019.
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From 1887 to 2019, the two schools met 43 times. Michigan leads the series 25-17-1 over the Irish. In 2012, Notre Dame announced that the two schools would stop competing after 2014. However, they played a home-and-away series during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. The two schools will face off again in 2033 and 2034.
The driving distance between South Bend and Ann Arbor is about 155 miles. As a result, each fan base could conceivably make a day trip to attend the game or, at a minimum, tailgate in the parking lot. Additionally, the short distance would help each program recruit in the opponent’s area. Notre Dame recruits heavily from Chicago, which is a short drive from campus.
Michigan can use the game as another path into the city, allowing it to tap into the same talent pool that Notre Dame has successfully recruited. J.J. McCarthy, who won a national championship, hails from LaGrange Park, Ill., which is 101 miles from South Bend. Meanwhile, Notre Dame has also enjoyed recruiting in and around Detroit. Hall of Fame running back Jerome Bettis is from the city.
From a scheduling standpoint, a rivalry renewal makes sense. One of the metrics the College Football Playoff committee uses to determine program worthiness is strength of schedule. Provided both teams continue to win, the game will affect how the committee views them in the long run. In 2025, Notre Dame posted a 90.4 rating in the PFSN CFB Offense Impact Rankings, while Michigan recorded an 84.1 rating.
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One potential hurdle in reviving the game is scheduling. Since 2016, the Big Ten has played a nine-game conference schedule, leaving little room for change. In the last few seasons, the Wolverines have preferred to start their season with non-conference home games.
The question remains whether Michigan and Notre Dame can find a way to resume the rivalry and make it an annual affair.
