Stanford football: Cardinal play at Notre Dame on Saturday, but when will rivalry game return to the schedule?

Notre Dame and Stanford have played each other in football every year since 1997 except in 2020, when both teams only played conference games because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The teams play Saturday afternoon in South Bend, but after that, no one knows when they’ll meet again: the series isn’t on the schedule for 2025 or beyond.

Both teams still have an opening on their schedules next season, and Stanford head coach Troy Taylor hopes the series continues.

“I think it’s a great rivalry,” said Taylor. “Obviously two incredible institutions that I think have a lot in common and have a lot of respect for each other. I know it’s a game in the past that I’ve always kept an eye on and always followed and tried to watch as much as possible. It’s been some really good battles, so hopefully it continues.

“Television and contracts and conferences and all those things play a role, but I know I certainly would love to continue to play Notre Dame.”

Stanford’s other non-conference games in 2025 are all in the first month — at BYU and Hawaii and home against San Jose State — leaving a spot for a home game against Notre Dame at the end of the season, which is historically when the games between the two teams at Stanford Stadium have been played.

The Cardinal (2-3 overall) might not know when it’ll play Notre Dame again, but quarterback Ashton Daniels is expected to be ready to play Saturday against the 11th-ranked Irish (12:30 p.m., NBC), providing hope to an offense that didn’t have a play longer than 20 yards in a blowout loss to Virginia Tech last week.

Daniels sat out the game with an ankle injury and the Cardinal’s longest pass was a 19-yard touchdown from halfback Micah Ford on a trick play. Backup Justin Lamson went 13 of 24 for 103 yards and two turnovers in the 31-7 loss.

“We actually moved the ball,” Taylor said. “We had maybe one three-and-out. Other than that, we put together a series of first downs, it’s just difficult to score a lot of points if you’re not getting big plays within the drive. It’s something that you know we’re going to need to have some of those explosive plays, whether it’s in the pass game or the run game.”

The return of Daniels – who is also the team’s leading rusher with 250 yards on 50 carries despite missing a game – may help open up the offense for the Cardinal. But it will still be tough to move the ball against Notre Dame (4-1), who are led by defensive-minded coach Marcus Freeman.

This season, the Irish rank sixth in team passing efficiency defense, ninth in scoring defense (12.6) and 19th in total defense (284.0). The team finished fifth in total defense and first in pass efficiency defense last season.

Taylor said it starts with Notre Dame’s ability to play man-to-man defense.

“When you watch their eye discipline and where they’re supposed to be, they make very few mistakes, and they’re great tacklers and they’ve got really good speed,” Taylor said. “I mean the best defense you can play in football really is man if you have the guys that can do it, and they do. It makes the passing lanes very tight and you’re able to get pressure on the quarterback.”

Though Daniels is back, Stanford might still be short-handed in South Bend. Ford is questionable for Saturday after suffering a lower leg injury in the final minute against Virginia Tech, and fifth-year center Levi Rogers, by far the most experienced lineman, is likely out with an undisclosed injury.

Ford has been the team’s leading rusher over the last three games (216 yards). So it will be even more important for Daniels to establish a downfield passing game with receivers Elic Ayomanor (24 catches, 317 yards, three TDs) and Ismael Cisse (22 catches, 186 yards, 2 TDs).

He will also need to avoid turnovers after throwing six interceptions in his first four games if Stanford, a 23-point underdog, hopes to reclaim the Legends Trophy after last year’s 56-23 loss. Notre Dame fifth-year safety Xavier Watts won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation’s best defensive player last year after recording an FBS-best seven interceptions.