Michigan AD Reportedly Open to Talking About Renewing Notre Dame Rivalry

An annual football matchup with Notre Dame ended in 2014, but new Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel is willing to discuss restarting the rivalry.

According to ESPN's Dan Murphy, Manuel said he's open to bringing back a clash that is great for the sport:

Manuel's comment is encouraging and brings back memories of spectacular games, but fans of either university or the rivalry itself should temper the excitement.

The last contest came in 2014 when Notre Dame hammered the Wolverines 31-0. Both programs knew it would be the last of a 13-year stretch.

Michigan holds a 24-17-1 edge in the series, which includes dramatic finishes like the 2011 bout.

The Wolverines rattled off 21 points during the fourth quarter to take a 28-24 lead with 1:12 remaining. Notre Dame quickly responded. Michigan then scored the game-winning touchdown with two seconds on the clock.

We're missing games like this.

September would be better off with the programs squaring off. Classic battles of the 1980s and 1990s featured Heisman Trophy candidates and future NFL stars, and they set the tone for a couple of national championship campaigns.

What led to this delay?

The Fighting Irish entered an agreement with the Atlantic Coast Conference to play five member schools each year. Notre Dame also has annual meetings against USC, Stanford and Navy.

In 2012, Notre Dame exercised a contractual right and postponed the Michigan series from 2015-17, opting out of an agreement that tentatively lasted through 2031. The schools had announced there would be no matchups in 2018 or 2019, either, though they intended to resume in 2020.

Barring a change to those developments or cancellations to currently scheduled nonconference games, the Wolverines and Fighting Irish will not have a regular-season tilt for at least five more seasons.

Even then, however, the outlook for a resumption is bleak.

Starting in 2016, the Big Ten is shifting to a nine-game conference slate. That decision wasn't finalized until after the schools announced the five-year delay.

Michigan has already filled its out-of-conference allowance with Washington, Ball State and Virginia Tech in 2020. Washington and Virginia Tech are also on the 2021 docket.

Perhaps Manuel and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick can agree to future matchups, but previous statements and scheduled outings must be reversed for the rivalry to resume anytime soon.