Witness History as Notre Dame Hosts Indiana in the CFP
Notre Dame Stadium: A Mecca of College Football
Notre Dame Stadium is widely regarded as one of the most significant venues in college football. However, in recent years, it hasn't always provided the best home environment for the Fighting Irish. For instance, Nebraska's visit in 2000 and Georgia's trip in 2017 turned the stadium into a sea of red. Even Cincinnati in 2021 and Ohio State in 2023 managed to neutralize a significant portion of the Irish fanbase. These out-of-state foes presented challenges, but Indiana is a different story. It's only about a 200-mile trek from IU's home base in Bloomington to South Bend, and millions of Hoosiers fans live across the state.Will Friday's game see history repeat itself with a visiting fanbase overtaking Notre Dame Stadium? We asked Gannett's Notre Dame and Indiana football reporters - Mike Berardino, Tom Noie, and Austin Hough of the South Bend Tribune, Zach Osterman of the IndyStar, and Michael Niziolek of the Bloomington Herald-Times - for their thoughts on whether enough Hoosier fans can make a difference.
What the Notre Dame Reporters Say
Mike Berardino: Ticketing technology and digital footprints have advanced significantly since Notre Dame Stadium was filled with red for pseudo home games against Georgia in 2017 and Nebraska in 2000. When Ohio State visited in 2023, Buckeye fans were a minority, but the Home of the Irish still had a vibrant atmosphere. Hoosier fans face not only a 200-mile drive in potentially slippery and snowy conditions but also the highest third-party seller pricing in the first year of the 12-team College Football Playoff. Moreover, this "good at football" thing is relatively new to them, making it hard to imagine them taking away the Irish's home field advantage.Tom Noie: There's no chance. Notre Dame fans still vividly remember Nebraska in 2000, Georgia in 2017, Cincinnati in 2021, and Ohio State in 2023 when the stadium was invaded by seas of red. Those games were opportunities for season ticket holders to make a profit by selling their tickets to opposing fans who made a pilgrimage to one of college football's most sacred venues. This is a chance for Notre Dame fans to be part of history, and that matters. It will be a decisive home-field advantage for the Irish on Friday.
Austin Hough: It's a bit of both. Those secondary market ticket prices are exorbitant, but this is also the first time Indiana football has achieved anything remotely this good in a long time. In a regular season game, those prices would deter most people. However, since it's a chance to witness history, I think enough IU fans will travel to South Bend to make the crowd interesting at least. The majority will still be Notre Dame fans, but a 75/25 split between Irish and Hoosiers wouldn't surprise me.
What the Indiana Reporters Say
Zach Osterman: Some Indiana fans will make the trip, but it's hard to say how many will be enough. IU fans have followed the team consistently throughout the season, recognizing their progress. They'll do their best to continue that on Friday night, despite the high ticket prices.Michael Niziolek: It will be a challenge to get casual fans to make the long drive across the state due to the higher ticket prices. But the good news is that ticket prices have come down a bit since the matchup was announced. There are now tickets in the upper bowl available for less than $500, which was not the case after Selection Sunday when they were over $1,000. I think there will be a significant number of Indiana fans in the stands, similar to the crowd in Columbus for the Ohio State game, but it won't be enough to turn Notre Dame Stadium into a friendly environment.