Brian Kelly: We’re going to make Notre Dame–Michigan happen again

Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly is working to bring back the rivalry series between his team and Michigan.

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Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly is working to bring back the rivalry series between his team and Michigan.

“We’re going to make that happen,” Kelly told the South Bend Tribune on Thursday. “We’ve got some work to do, but we’re going to make it happen.

“It’s something (ND athletic director) Jack Swarbrick and I want to do, and we’re going to get that game back together. We’ve got some challenges, but I think we can pull it off.”

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh and athletic director Warde Manuel have also said they want to resume the series, which has not been played since 2014 due to the expiration of the contract for the matchup. The relationship between Swarbrick and former Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon had also grown tenuous, according to the Tribune.

Notre Dame’s scheduling process has been complicated by its affiliation in other sports with the ACC. Though an independent football program, the Irish are required to schedule an average of five ACC schools per year.

Kelly said he is hoping to add the games against Michigan to the schedule following the 2017 season, after playing Michigan State each of the next two seasons. “We want to do it as soon as we can,” he said.

The last meeting between the teams was a 31–0 Notre Dame win in South Bend.