Notre Dame Football: Power Ranking the Top 10 Rivalry Games

Along with the history and tradition that makes Notre Dame special to college football, Irish fans also look forward to the annual rivalry games their team competes in on a yearly basis. Notre Dame's orientation as an Independent FBS school allows them to have a diverse amount of rivals, and adds to the excitement of each season as the Irish schedule is ripe with such games.

Some of these rivalry games have lost relevance as the years have progressed, while others have continued to capture the attention of the college football world.

This reality is behind the motivation to power rank the rivalry games Notre Dame is known for. Here are the top 10 power rankings of these games...

10. Pitt Panthers

As of recent, this rivalry has just become another game on Notre Dame’s schedule.

Pitt hasn’t seen a player like quarterback Dan Marino come through its program since the early 1980s, and has had only one Heisman finalist since 1987 in standout wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. This matchup just isn’t what it used to be.

The only game worth mentioning from recent years comes from the 2008 edition, when Pitt defeated Notre Dame 36-33 in four overtimes. Perhaps new head coaches Brian Kelly, now in his second season, and Pitt’s Todd Graham, yet to coach a game for the Panthers, can revamp the series between two storied programs, as the two are slated to play each other through the 2015 season.

Series Record: (44-20-1) Notre Dame

9. Army Black Knights

In the midst of the 20^th century, this game would have been one of the top rivalries in college football. However, Notre Dame’s recent dominance over the Black Knights has made this game more of a historic rivalry than anything else.

Notre Dame and Army began playing each other in 1913. It was during this first matchup that Irish legend Knute Rockne and teammate Gus Dorais popularized the forward pass and led the Irish to a 35-13 victory at West Point.

And how could anyone forget the Game of the Century in 1946 ending in a 0-0 tie in which Army and Notre Dame were ranked No. 1 and 2, respectively? Notre Dame went on to be crowned national champions by the Associated Press that year, while Army finished No. 2, despite the 0-0 tie.

Although this game is rich in tradition, it has become relatively insignificant, considering Army hasn’t beaten Notre Dame since 1958. Notre Dame currently holds a 14-game win streak over the Black Knights, with an average margin of victory of 29.4 points. The win streak also includes six shutouts, with Army only able to accrue 20 points or more once.

Despite the recent dominance by Notre Dame in this series, the history behind this matchup deserves to be acknowledged when these teams face off on the gridiron.

Series Record: (38-8-4) Notre Dame

8. Purdue Boilermakers

One of the longest and most consistent rivalry games in college football, Notre Dame and Purdue have met annually every year since 1946. Although this annual matchup hasn’t created the amount of excitement recently as it has in the past, perhaps due to the contemporary mediocrity of both squads, this matchup seems to consistently manufacture exciting and memorable games.

In 1950, Purdue ended Notre Dame’s 39-game win streak with a 28-14 victory. The 1968 season saw No. 1 Purdue and No. 2 Notre Dame end in favor of the Boilermakers, 37-22 in South Bend.

During the 2009 season, Irish quarterback Jimmy Clausen, battling an injury sustained during the Michigan State game earlier in the year, threw a strike to tight end Kyle Rudolph with 24 seconds left on the clock to give Notre Dame 24-21 win despite inconsistent play from both teams throughout the entire game.

If these two teams begin to improve (realistically, Purdue is a long way from where Notre Dame is at this point), this rivalry could once again gain credibility.

Series Record: (54-26-2) Notre Dame

7. Stanford Cardinal

The Notre Dame-Stanford rivalry is relatively young, especially when compared to others on this list. However, with both programs ostensibly on the rise, this game has the potential to be a marquee matchup for the next few college football seasons.

Although the two squads didn’t begin playing one another consistently for the Legends Trophy until the 1988 season, they first met each other in the 1925 Rose Bowl. Notre Dame, coached by the legendary Knute Rockne and led by the Four Horsemen, defeated Glenn “Pop” Warner and his Stanford team 27-10 en route to their first national title.

However, with two consecutive wins and the return of Heisman-contending quarterback Andrew Luck, momentum is currently on the side of the Cardinal.

Series Record: (17-8) Notre Dame

6. Miami Hurricanes

If these two teams hadn’t met in the 2010 Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, the Hurricanes may not have made this list. However, several factors point to this game becoming relevant once again in the near future.

First, Notre Dame’s 33-17 dominance over Miami in the Sun Bowl has left a bitter taste in the mouths of Hurricane fans.

Secondly, future games—such as the matchup at Soldier Field in 2012, as well as a home-and-home series beginning in 2016—give fans of the two schools something to look forward to in anticipation of upcoming seasons.

Lastly, memories of the fierce “Catholics vs. Convicts” rivalry, particularly the 1988, 1989 and 1990 matchups, give some historical perspective to this game.

It is hard to imagine that future games between the two schools will be as exciting as Notre Dame’s controversial 31-30 victory over Miami in South Bend during the 1988 season, but the pieces seem to be in place to restore significance to the classic matchup it was more than two decades ago.

Series Record: (16-7-1) Notre Dame

5. Navy Midshipmen

It seemed as though this game could be marked as an automatic win for the Irish on an annual basis.

Enter Charlie Weis.

After tallying off 43 straight wins against the Midshipmen, Notre Dame’s win streak against the Naval Academy came to a screeching halt in the 2007 season, as the Irish lost in triple overtime 46-44. The win was so monumental for Navy that the Academy canceled classes the following Monday so the celebration could continue.

Since then, Notre Dame has only defeated Navy once, and the Midshipmen have beaten the Irish the last two seasons. Notre Dame’s inability to put away an inferior opponent in recent years has renewed this rivalry that was once on the brink of irrelevancy. However, with the graduation of elusive quarterback Ricky Dobbs from the Naval Academy, the Irish should once again regain control of this series beginning in 2011.

Series Record: (71-12-1) Notre Dame

4. Boston College Eagles

Even though these two teams have only met 20 times on the gridiron, one could mistakenly conceive this matchup to be a longstanding rivalry between the two schools.

Often referred to as the Holy War, the Notre Dame-Boston College matchup pits two of the most prestigious, historically Catholic universities against one another in a battle for the Ireland Trophy. Boston College fans certainly envy the spotlight shining on the Notre Dame football program, but Irish fans have just as much reason to abhor the Eagles.

In 1993, the Eagles defeated the Fighting Irish, who were ranked No. 1 coming into the game, on a last-second 41-yard field goal by David Gordon, ending any Irish hopes of a national championship.

Skip ahead several seasons, and in 2002, Boston College once again came into South Bend and upset the No. 4-ranked Irish, 14-7. Notre Dame fumbled the ball eight times, and backup quarterback Pat Dillingham threw two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown by Eagles linebacker Josh Ott towards the end of the first half.

Notre Dame fans remain bitter over the two losses, and the 1993 defeat in particular.

Series Record: (11-9) Notre Dame

3. USC Trojans

Arguably the most historic rivalry in college football, there are a combined 22 national titles and 13 Heisman Trophy winners between the two schools.

Rumor has it that Knute Rockne’s wife was able to persuade the legendary head coach to engage in a home-and-home series with the Trojans. Whatever the actual story regarding the true origins may be, this game is often magnified each season, especially after the Bush Push during the 2005 game gave USC a last-second victory over Notre Dame in a heartbreaking loss for the Irish.

Despite Trojan dominance from 2002 to 2009 in this series, the tables seem to be turning in favor of the Irish after first-year head coach Brian Kelly led Notre Dame to a 20-16 over USC in Pasadena last season. The win put to rest any notion that USC would continue to dominate Notre Dame on a yearly basis, and this rivalry will continue to be one of the best in college football.

Series Record: (43-33-5) Notre Dame

2. Michigan Wolverines

Perhaps the only positive thing that can be said about the Michigan football program is that it introduced Notre Dame to the game in 1887.

Since then, however, both schools have shared a mutual hatred for one another.

After Notre Dame defeated Michigan for the first time in 1909, Wolverines head coach Fielding Yost refused to play the Irish again. The series resumed in 1942, but after the 1943 season, when No. 1 Notre Dame defeated No. 2 Michigan 35-13, Michigan, once again fearing the potential dominance of Notre Dame football, was the driving force behind another long hiatus.

Finally, in 1978, the two storied programs began playing one another on a consistent basis. Although Michigan holds the all-time series lead, since the rivalry was renewed in 1978, the series is tied 13-13-1.

In the last two seasons, Michigan was able to defeat the Irish in the final seconds of the game. While most powerhouses are busy playing mediocre opponents early in the season, the matchup between the Irish and the Wolverines give college football fans something to look forward to the first couple of weeks into the season.

Series Record: (22-15-1) Michigan

1. Michigan State Spartans

The 1966 Game of the Century between Notre Dame and Michigan State remains one of the most talked-about matchups in college football history, as the top-ranked Irish battled the No. 2 Spartans to a 10-10 stalemate in arguably the greatest college football game to ever be played.

Although Notre Dame holds a commanding lead over the Spartans in this series, Michigan State has won 10 of the last 14 meetings. Since 2002, this rivalry game has been decided by seven points or less seven times.

The most intriguing games between the two in the 21^st century include a 2005 Spartan victory in overtime in South Bend, a 40-37 comeback victory for the Irish the following season in East Lansing in 2006 and a successfully executed fake field goal by the Spartans for a thrilling overtime victory in 2010.

With such exciting finishes in recent seasons and historical relevance, the Notre Dame-Michigan State rivalry tops this list.

Series Record: (45-28-1) Notre Dame