Could Indiana and Notre Dame form a football rivalry? Hoosier fans think so

Indiana and Notre Dame, despite sharing a state, haven’t met on the gridiron all that often, especially in recent years

The Hoosiers and Fighting Irish have faced off 30 times with just one matchup, the First Round of the 2024 College Football Playoff, taking place in the 21st century. But the two are linked due to that matchup and the national championship run the Hoosiers went on one season later.

Notre Dame owns a substantial lead in the all-time series, more historical achievements as a program and the win in the most recent game. Indiana used that loss as fuel to reach a stage the Irish have occupied just one more time in the 21st century only the Hoosiers left said stage with hardware rather than heartbreak.

There’s been tension between the two fanbases before, during and after that game as the two programs have been compared. With a home-and-home series just years away and other possible postseason matchups to come, we asked Indiana fans if they believe the two sides could form a new college football rivalry.

Here’s what they think:

A decent amount of the Hoosier faithful who responded believe the two sides could form a rivalry. It could happen as soon as this next season, with both Indiana and Notre Dame holding strong odds to win the national championship, per FanDuel Sportsbook. The Hoosiers have the sixth best odds to repeat at +850 while the Irish have the second best odds to win it all at +700.