Arkansas schedules football series with Notre Dame

A Notre Dame player holds his helmet after running onto to field before an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016, in South Bend, Ind. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

— Arkansas has announced a home-and-home football series with Notre Dame that will begin in 2020.

The Razorbacks and Fighting Irish are scheduled to play in South Bend, Ind., on Sept. 12, 2020. Notre Dame will play the return game in Fayetteville on Oct. 4, 2025.

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“Ever since I became a head coach I’ve wanted to get Notre Dame on the schedule and when it became a possibility we were 100 percent in on getting a home-and-home done,” Arkansas coach Bret Bielema said. “I’m excited for our program, but I’m also excited for our fans to experience a game at Notre Dame and then come back and show what an amazing home atmosphere we have.”

Arkansas and Notre Dame have never played. The Razorbacks will be the first team from the SEC West to play at Notre Dame Stadium since LSU in 1998.

Both teams will receive 7,500 tickets to the away games.

Notre Dame is the first known opponent for Arkansas in the 2020 and 2025 seasons. The Fighting Irish, which play independent of a conference affiliation, will satisfy the SEC's requirement that all teams must play one nonconference game against a Power 5 opponent each year.

“Whenever we have an opponent come to Notre Dame Stadium for the first time, there’s another layer of interest in the game. The same is true for our program and fans when we play away from home at a first-time venue,” Notre Dame athletics director Jack Swarbrick said. “That is especially likely to be true of these games given the quality and tradition of the two programs.”