ND-Michigan to continue

Notre Dame and Michigan will continue their football series through 2031, both schools announced Monday.

The two schools had initially called off the series when the contract expired after the 2011 season, but Irish athletic director Kevin White and Wolverines athletic director Bill Martin worked out the deal to continue the rivalry that started in 1877 but have not played continuously.

“We are thrilled that the series between two premier college football programs will continue uninterrupted for the next 25 years,” Martin said.

Michigan and Notre Dame are the two top teams in Division I wins, winning percentage, television appearances and composite Associated Press poll rankings. The Wolverines lead the Irish in all those categories.

Michigan and Notre Dame and play this season on Sept. 15 in   Ann  Arbor, Mich.

This is good for Notre Dame for many reasons. It will calm a fan base that initially thought the Irish would be dropping both Michigan and Michigan State from the schedule. It also gives the Irish another almost-guaranteed marquee game.

It also means that on paper, Notre Dame's 2012 schedule could be pretty daunting. The Irish will definitely have Michigan, USC, Navy and Purdue. There are also three Big East teams (Nationalchamps.net has Rutgers and Pittsburgh listed, although the site also has Boston College, which won't happen) and the possibility of Baylor in an off-site game and a two-year series with Big 12 power Oklahoma. So that is nine of 12 games scheduled, with at least three marquee names (and if the Irish play Rutgers, by then the Scarlet Knights could be four).

-By Michael Rothstein of The Journal Gazette