AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. — It was over a year ago and it was similar to what is taking place this week at the Ritz Carlton on Amelia Island.

Clemson athletic director Graham Neff and Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua both attended a meeting, as they struck up a conversation about scheduling. As they started to talk and talked about the meaningful and memorable games Clemson and Notre Dame have played in the last 10 years, they got the idea of possibly playing some more.

“I think it was almost like a ‘Wala!’ moment, like why don’t we make this official and do this every year,” Bevacqua told The Clemson Insider during the ACC’s Spring Meetings on Tuesday.

And as a result, a 12-year home-and-home series between Clemson and Notre Dame was born.  

“We have been working on this for quite a while, so it is not reactive to changes in the ACC, etc. It is really the alignment of two great brands,” Neff said to TCI.

The 12-year series will begin at Clemson in 2027 and will run through 2038 when the Tigers visit South Bend, Ind.

“Think about the history of this rivalry over the course of the last decade or so,” Bevacqua said. “All the games are meaningful, memorable and important. These are two great and passionate fanbases. The schools have so many similarities.”

Notre Dame and Clemson first met in 1977 at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, a memorable come-from-behind victory for the Irish, which was led by future four-time Super Bowl Champion and Hall of Famer Joe Montana.

Clemson repaid the visit in 1979, as the Tigers upset Notre Dame on Senior Day. The two did not meet again until 2015 when Clemson stopped the Irish on a 2-point conversion to preserve a 24-22 win in what seemed like a monsoon at Death Valley.

The two have since met in the College Football Playoff Semifinals in 2018, a double overtime thriller at Notre Dame in 2020, the 2020 ACC Championship Game and twice more in the regular season with both schools hosting the other.

Clemson has won five of the eight meetings, with five of the outcomes being decided by eight points or less, including one in double overtime.

“It made all the sense in the world, so we started conversations internally,” Bevacqua said. “Hey, we want to create another great, memorable rivalry that can last hundred years. I know this is a 12-year deal, but it works.

“My hope is that it goes on for the next century like other great rivalries. So, it has all the makings of that, and it was an easy deal to put together because both schools want it to happen.”

Neff confirmed to TCI there is no extra revenue stream coming from the game, other than what Clemson will make with its revenue dollars through the ACC and what Notre Dame makes through its NBC package. However, it should help Clemson due to the ACC’s new revenue distribution model that is based on viewership. 

“There are the downstream strategies of viewership and financial components, of course. But it is a very layered strategy for sure,” Neff said. “The sequence of rolling this out at this point was very thoughtful. Yes, (revenue) is absolutely a part of it. Notre Dame, their brand and how they have established their viewership and eyeballs because of what they are, and Clemson, too. Now this kind of helps assure big-time matchups nationally with viewership and eyeballs for sure.”

Bevacqua believes it is a win-win for all parties involved, and let’s not forget how it is likely to help both teams strength of schedule in most years, which is going to be important to CFP seeding going forward. “It is great to document and know, at least for the next 12 years, we are going to play each other every year,” Bevacqua said. “I would imagine the majority of those years will have real championship implications, one way or the other, but hopefully for both of us. Hopefully, we are both in the mix every time we play.”