The Rice Owls will have a chance to know what kind of football program they truly have next September. On Thursday, Rice announced that they will hit the road to face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. This will be the sixth time the two schools will meet, as the Fighting Irish currently holds a 5-0 record.

Next year’s Notre Dame football schedule just got another opponent. On Thursday, Notre dame announced a home game in 2026 versus the Rice Owls. Notre dame and Rice have met 5 times in the past with the Irish winning all 5 contests. Most recently, Notre Dame played Rice at home in 2014 (48-17) and 1988 (54-11).

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have added the Rice Owls to their 2026 football schedule, both schools announced Tuesday.