Bulls set to take on ND in 2020

Agreement has USF playing Irish 3 times

After days of waiting, USF didn’t just announce one game against Notre Dame. The Bulls announced three.

USF will travel to South Bend on Sept. 19, the programs announced Thursday. Both teams had holes in their schedules as other conferences and teams opted not to play this fall because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Bulls said they will play the Irish two more times (including once at Raymond James Stadium), but those future dates are still being finalized.

“We are very excited for our program and our players to have the opportunity to play Notre Dame in South Bend in front of a national TV audience during the 2020 season,” USF athletic director Michael Kelly said. “It’s not only a terrific addition for this season, but will bring Notre Dame to play in Tampa for the first time and adds the Irish to a terrific slate of future nonconference opponents that includes teams such as Alabama, Florida, Louisville, Miami, NC State, Boise State and BYU.”

USF has some history with Notre Dame. The Bulls scored a 23-20 upset over the Irish in South Bend in 2011 the day before former athletic director Lee Roy Selmon’s death.

The Bulls were originally set to host Nevada on Sept. 12, but the Mountain West canceled its fall season. Notre Dame was once scheduled to host Western Michigan, but that game was wiped away when the Mid-American Conference punted on its fall slate.

USF is scheduled to open at home against The Citadel on Sept. 12.