Georgia has been on the mind of Notre Dame football lately, and another twist was added today when it was announced that Notre Dame’s Atlantic Coast Conference visits to Georgia Tech in 2020 and 2024 will not be played at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Grant Field but instead at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The first such meeting will be Nov. 14, 2020, and the second on Oct. 19, 2024. In between the Fighting Irish also will host Georgia Tech in 2021, with the date still to be determined.
This is part of a five-year deal announced in which the Yellow Jackets will play one game from 2020-24 in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which opened in 2017, is home to the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and is located less than one mile from Georgia Tech’s Midtown Atlanta campus. The venue also hosted Super Bowl LIII, the 2018 College Football Playoff championship game and will be the site of the 2020 NCAA Final Four, with Georgia Tech the host institution.
Capacity at Mercedes-Benz Stadium is 71,000, while Bobby Dodd Stadium at Grant Field is 55,000.
The state of Georgia has become more prominent for the football Fighting Irish the past couple of years. First was a home-and-home series for the first time ever against the University of Georgia, hosting the Bulldogs in 2017 and then traveling there this Sept. 21 in the return match.
Then, in each of the last two seasons, the Peach State had the most representation, or tied for most, in Notre Dame’s football recruiting with three players apiece: In 2018 the Irish signed running back C’Bo Flemister (Williamson), tight end Tommy Tremble (Johns Creek) and safety Derrik Allen (Marietta), and this year it inked linebacker JD Bertrand (Roswell), cornerback KJ Wallace (Atlanta) and safety Kyle Hamilton (Atlanta).
Playing in another marquee venue in the state should only enhance its presence there.
Notre Dame holds a 28-6-1 all-time series lead against Georgia Tech, with the most recent meeting a 30-22 Irish victory in Notre Dame Stadium in 2015. The last time the two teams met in Atlanta was at Bobby Ross Stadium at Grant Field for the 2006 opener in which the No. 2-ranked Irish under second-year head coach Charlie Weis rallied to defeat the Calvin Johnson-led Yellow Jackets, 14-10.
There were 12 meetings between the two from 1967-81 in which both teams hosted six times and the Irish held a 10-1-1 advantage.
The shift also means Notre Dame's six road games in 2020 will be:
• Aviva Stadium (Dublin, Ireland) vs. Navy.
• Mercedes-Benz (Atlanta Falcons) vs. Georgia Tech.
• Bank of America Stadium (Carolina Panthers) vs. Wake Forest.
• Lambeau Field (Green Bay Packers) vs. Wisconsin.
• Heinz Field (Pittsburgh Steelers) vs. Pittsburgh.
• Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum vs. USC.
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