Notre Dame Football: Most Exciting Games of 2012 Fighting Irish Schedule

Year in and year out, Notre Dame is virtually guaranteed to be competing in a slate of marquee matchups.

The same is true of the 2012 schedule.

The Irish will go head to head with each of their traditional rivals, including a few not so usual suspects. For the most intriguing of these soon-to-come games, follow along.

Enjoy!

Michigan State

The Battle for the Megaphone Trophy never fails to provide for more than enough breathtaking moments.

The 2010 matchup of these two heavyweights only added to the storied rivalry, as the Spartans won in overtime on a fake field-goal pass.

And the 2009 contest came down to the wire at Notre Dame Stadium, with Irish quarterback Jimmy Clausen leading his team to a nail-biting 33-30 victory.

However, last season's meeting didn't live up to the hype. Brian Kelly's squad won in a blowout of sorts, by a score of 31-13.

With Kirk Cousins no longer leading the Spartan offense, Sparty may look a bit different, but it's sure to be another heart-pounding game in East Lansing.

Brigham Young

These two religious-affiliated programs have not met since 2005, when the Irish put a pounding on the Cougars, 49-21.

The victory came a week after Charlie Weis' squad lost a heart-breaker to Pete Carroll's top ranked USC Trojans.

The renewal of this series is a direct result of BYU leaving the Mountain West Conference and becoming an independent, as Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick felt it would benefit both schools.

With the Cougars being an improved bunch under Bronco Mendenhall, do not be surprised if BYU keeps things interesting down to the final seconds in South Bend this season.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma may be having nightmares about playing Notre Dame—the Irish ended the Sooners' NCAA record 47-game win streak back in 1957.

While the current Oklahoma squad likely may not even be aware of that feat, it should not be intimidated by the Irish.

Bob Stoops and Co. have a wealth of talent returning, leading many to believe that Notre Dame is in for a rude awakening in Norman on Oct. 27.

Either way, the game is sure to broadcast in prime time on ABC or ESPN.

Michigan

Notre Dame vs. Michigan. College football does not get any better than this heated rivalry. Fireworks have been abound in this series of late, with Michigan winning three of the previous four meetings in dramatic fashion.

Last season's meeting was, perhaps, the season's best game on a national scale. In the first night game in the history of Michigan Stadium, the Wolverines rallied from a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit to win 35-31 in the final seconds.

There is no doubt that Notre Dame will be using that finish as fuel for this season's game, which will also be a night game, this time in South Bend.

A similar game to the 2011 edition is not out of the question by any stretch of the imagination.

USC

At one point in time considered to be college football's premier inter-sectional rivalry, Notre Dame-USC has seen sparks fly after a stretch of eight straight wins by USC in the series.

Last season, Notre Dame self-imposed a massive amount of hype around the game, making the contest the first night game at Notre Dame Stadium in 21 years.

That did not prove beneficial for the Irish, as USC won easily, 31-17.

With Lane Kiffin's Trojans likely to be ranked as a top-five team in the preseason, this season's contest in Los Angeles has a tremendous chance to live up to expectations.