The two biggest college football programs in near proximity to the Chicago area have met 47 times in their history, but not since 1995 has Northwestern met Notre Dame. That was the year that the unranked Wildcats went into South Bend and upset the then ninth-ranked Fighting Irish; it was the first hint that Northwestern was for real in that, their first Rose Bowl season since the 1940s.
↵↵The schools have agreed to a home-and-home series, according to Chicago Breaking Sports. That is, if you can call a "series" one game played in 2014 and a return matchup four years later.
↵↵They'll play Nov. 15, 2014 in South Bend and then again at a date to be determined at Ryan Field in Evanston in 2018. NU athletic director Jim Phillips expressed excitement:
↵↵"We’re excited about having Notre Dame make its first visit to Evanston since 1976," Phillips said in NU's release. "This is really an exciting time for Chicago's Big Ten team as we continue to upgrade our nonconference schedule. With schools such as Boston College, California, Syracuse and Vanderbilt visiting Ryan Field in future years, combined with Nebraska to our division in the Big Ten, there’s no better time to be a Wildcat."↵↵
The Wildcats seem thisclose to becoming a team that can compete for Big Ten titles on an annual basis and finally winning that elusive bowl game.