Sports

Notre Dame vs. Miami football history: Rivalry, all-time record, biggest games, Catholics vs Convicts

Nairavoice · Nov 5, 2026 · 4 min read

The hype train is in full motion with No. 1 Miami slated to face off against No. 11 Notre Dame in South Bend on NBC and Peacock this Saturday. Heading into the weekend fresh off the first College Football Playoff rankings release, there’s no shortage of storylines for what could be one of the season’s most consequential matchups.

Ahead of Saturday’s highly-anticipated clash, look back at the storied history between both historic programs.

Notre Dame vs. Miami football history:How to watch No. 1 Miami vs. No. 11 Notre Dame: TV, live stream, preview for Saturday’s gameWith major College Football Playoff implications at stake, a storied rivalry will continue with coverage on NBC and Peacock.

Nate Ryan,

Notre Dame vs. Miami football history, rivalry

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Miami Hurricanes first clashed helmets over seven decades ago, in 1955. Notre Dame posted a 14-0 victory in what would be the first of 28 meetings between the two schools, and the beginning of a fierce rivalry that heated up in the 1970s and peaked in the late 1980s.

While Notre Dame and Miami only faced off only three times during the 1960s, they battled every single year from 1971-1990 (excluding 1986). At first, the Fighting Irish ruled the rivalry with an iron fist, going 12-1-1 against the Hurricanes through 1980. However, this is when the tide began to shift. The Hurricanes would go on to win five of the next six matchups leading up to 1988, when the most famous meeting of the rivalry would occur: the ‘Catholics vs. Convicts’ game.

The end of the 1980s also marked a cooling of tensions between the two squads. They only played each other once during the entirety of the 1990s, taking a 20-year hiatus before meeting again in 2010, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2025, and now 2026.

Notre Dame vs. Miami football history:College Football Playoff Rankings reaction: SEC sitting pretty; CFP committee’s inconsistent logicWhen the selection committee unveiled its first set of in-season CFP rankings on Tuesday night, it did so to great confusion and frustration.

Nicole Auerbach,

Notre Dame vs. Miami football all-time record

Notre Dame leads the rivalry with a 18-9-1 record against Miami (Notre Dame’s 2012 win was vacated due to ineligible players).

What is the Catholics vs. Convicts rivalry?

The Notre Dame-Miami rivalry was dubbed the ‘Catholics vs. Convicts’ rivalry in the days leading up to their 1988 matchup, due to a T-shirt slogan of the same name made by Notre Dame students.

The slogan was reported by the media and caught fire, with it clearly making a statement about the perceived differences between the two teams: Notre Dame was the historic Catholic team, the team with players who were disciplined and rigid, the team with the moral high ground.

On the other hand, Miami were the bad boys of college football. They were the team who had to revoke the scholarships of two former players because they were arrested prior to the start of the 1988 season. They were the team that had all too recently escaped the grips of mediocrity.

Although the teams had played dozens of times before the famous 1988 matchup, marked the first meeting under the “Catholics vs. Convicts” names.

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Highlights: 1988 ‘Catholics vs. Convicts’ gameGet ready for the Week 10 clash between Miami and Notre Dame by watching the famous 1988 “Catholics vs. Convicts” game, an event that changed college football forever.

What happened in the famous 1988 Notre Dame vs. Miami game?

The Catholics vs. Convicts game had drama before the first snap that continued throughout the game. Both teams got into a scuffle in the entrance tunnel, a testament to the animosity they felt towards each other.

Ranked No. 1 in the country, Miami was the defending national champion as it aimed to extend its 36-game winning streak. Undefeated Notre Dame was ranked No. 4 and hungry to give its hostile home crowd a win.

In what was a back-and-forth game, Miami found itself down 31-24 with less than a minute remaining. On fourth down, Hurricanes quarterback Steve Walsh connected with wide receiver Andre Brown in the end zone to make the game 31-30. Instead of kicking the extra point to tie the game, Miami Head Coach Jimmy Johnson opted to go for two points and essentially try to end the game.

Walsh took the snap, where his pass was batted down. The two-point attempt failed and Notre Dame clinched a 31-30 victory to hand the reigning champs their first loss of the season.