Notre Dame (7th seed) and Indiana (10th seed) face off Friday night in the opening game of the inaugural 12-team college football playoff. Both squads finished the regular season at 11-1. Although the Fighting Irish were not eligible for a bye, their higher seeding enables them to host this showdown. This will be the first meeting between these schools since 1991. Notre Dame holds a 23-5-1 lead in the overall series. Friday’s game will be nationally televised on ABC and ESPN beginning at 8:00 PM Eastern time.
Coach Curt Cignetti is in his first season in Bloomington after an impressive run at James Madison University.