Notre Dame's Upcoming Trip to SEC Country Truly a Rarity

Notre Dame gets invited to play home-and-homes against SEC teams more rarely than you may realize

Sep 21, 2019; Athens, GA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Tony Jones Jr. (6) is tackled by Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Jordan Davis (99) in the third quarter at Sanford Stadium. / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Notre Dame has a long football history that can go blow for blow with any in the country.

The program claims 11 national championships, although it certainly could claim more if it wanted to act like Alabama, and has seven Heisman Trophy winners.

Notre Dame has long been willing to go just about anywhere - heck, even Tokyo and Dublin, to find games.

One place it rarely goes though is on the road the SEC, but that will be the case next Saturday when Notre Dame travels to Texas A&M.

Rarity of Notre Dame Traveling to SEC Stadium

Notre Dame's upcoming trip to Texas A&M will be the first trip to the SEC for the Irish since 2019 when it lost a thriller at Georgia, 23-17. It'll be just the third trip Notre Dame has made to an SEC venue this century with the only other being a 17-13 upset to Tennessee in November of 2004.

Notre Dame has made 20 trips to play road SEC games in the entire history of the program, but seven of those were treks to Georgia Tech and Tulane between 1938 and 1950.

For as long as Notre Dame has been playing football, only 13 times (not counting Georgia Tech or Tulane) has it traveled to the campus of an SEC program to play a game.

Notre Dame's All-Time SEC Football Trips

Notre Dame's 13 all-time games at SEC Venues:

Sept. 21, 2019: 23-17 loss at Georgia
Nov. 6, 2004: 17-13 win at Tennessee
Nov. 6., 1999: 38-14 loss at Tennessee
Nov. 15, 1997: 24-6 win at LSU
Sept. 5, 1996: 14-7 win at Vanderbilt
Nov. 10, 1990: 34-29 win at Tennessee
Nov. 22, 1986: 21-19 loss at LSU
Oct. 4, 1986: 28-10 loss at Alabama
Oct. 27, 1984: 30-22 win at LSU
Nov. 15, 1980: 7-0 win at Alabama
Nov. 10, 1979: 40-18 loss at Tennessee
Sept. 17, 1977: 20-13 loss at Ole Miss
Nov. 20, 1971: 28-8 loss at LSU

Notre Dame's Future Scheduled SEC Trips

The floodgates aren't exactly opening for Notre Dame to be headed to SEC country on an annual basis going forward but trips to SEC programs are more regular in the next eight seasons than they were in the previous 20.

Notre Dame is currently schedule to make the following trips to SEC locations:

Sept. 27, 2025: at Arkansas
Sept. 14, 2030: at Alabama
Sept. 11, 2032: at Florida

Let's hope the expanded College Football Playoff and conference realignment doesn't cancel any of those games.

Notre Dame's One Previous Trip to Texas A&M All-Time

Notre Dame's upcoming trip to Texas A&M won't be the first time the Irish will have played in College Station. It is however the first time it will do so with the Aggies being an SEC member. Notre Dame's only other trip to Texas A&M came in September of 2001 when the Aggies pasted the Irish, 24-3.

There is more coming for Notre Dame in the years to come but enjoy next Saturday night as it provides us with something we truly don't get to see all that often.

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