2024-10-20 06:20:03
Marcus Freeman and the 11th-ranked Fighting Irish find themselves on the road in Week 8 to start a two-game stretch away from Notre Dame Stadium.
But the Irish’s Week 8 contest against Georgia Tech won’t be taking place at the Yellow Jacket’s home stadium. Instead, Saturday’s meeting between Notre Dame (5-1) and Georgia Tech (5-2, 3-2 in ACC play) will take place inside an NFL stadium: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, in Atlanta, roughly 2 miles from Bobby Dodd Stadium.
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It is the first meeting between the Irish and Yellow Jackets since 2021. Saturday’s neutral site game isn’t the first time Notre Dame has played an in-season, regular season game at a neutral site, nor will it be the last for the 2024 season.
Here’s what to know on why Notre Dame is playing Georgia Tech at Mercedes Benz Stadium, including why the Irish are playing several neutral site games this season:
Saturday’s meeting of Notre Dame and Georgia Tech is taking place inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the home of the Atlanta Falcons. It has a capacity of 71,000 per multiple reports.
In 2019, Georgia Tech athletics, AMB Sports & Entertainment — operator of Mercedes-Benz Stadium — and the Peach Bowl announced a five-year agreement allowing Georgia Tech to play one game annually at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, from 2020 through 2024.
In fact, Georgia Tech vs. Notre Dame was supposed to be the first game of that agreement in 2020, but the game was moved to Bobby Dodd Stadium due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Notre Dame, of course, played as a member of the ACC that season.
“I’m excited for Georgia Tech, our student-athletes and our fans to have the opportunity to showcase our football program annually in one of the most recognizable and state-of-the-art facilities in the world, Mercedes-Benz Stadium,” former Georgia Tech athletic director Todd Stansbury said in a statement at the time.
“An annual series at Mercedes-Benz Stadium helps us meet several objectives for the future of our program, including further establishing ourselves as a premier brand in the Atlanta sports culture, giving our student-athletes the opportunity to perform in one of the NFL’s top stadiums and providing our fans with an ultra-modern gameday experience.
I’m grateful to extend the outstanding partnerships that we enjoy with AMB Sports & Entertainment, the Atlanta Falcons and the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game and look forward to bringing the great tradition of Georgia Tech football to Mercedes-Benz Stadium.”
Mercedes-Benz Stadium was also announced on Tuesday as the site of the 2025 “Clean, Old Fashioned Hate” rivalry between Georgia Tech and Georgia.
While neutral-site games during the regular season aren’t unheard of, especially in Week 1 of the season, Notre Dame has been playing these games for quite some time.
From 2021 through 2023, Notre Dame has played four neutral-site games in the regular season, compared to 12 true road games. Because Notre Dame competes as an independent, it is not required to a certain number of home and away games each season.
Here’s a breakdown of Notre Dame’s neutral site games during the regular season since 2021:
Location in parentheses
* Denotes Shamrock Series game
Notre Dame is playing three neutral-site games this season — compared to three true road games — starting with Saturday’s contest against Georgia Tech at Mercedes Benz Stadium.
The Irish will then travel to East Rutherford, New Jersey in Week 9 for their 97th meeting with the Midshipmen inside MetLife Stadium. It is the eighth time that Notre Dame-Navy will be played at MetLife Stadium, and the first since 2010. This game and location were announced back in 2021.
Notre Dame will then resume its Shamrock Series on Saturday, Nov. 23 against Army at Yankee Stadium. It is the first Shamrock Series game for the Irish since 2022.
Here’s a breakdown of Notre Dame’s neutral site regular season games this season:
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