Posted by ESPN.com’s Graham Watson
Notre Dame and Western Michigan have agreed to meet on Oct. 16, 2010, in South Bend. It will mark the first time since the inception of the Mid-American Conference that a team from the conference faces Notre Dame.
The Fighting Irish replace Virginia Tech, which was originally on the Broncos' 2010 schedule. That game has been moved to 2016.
"It is very special to be able to set a precedent like this for the MAC and we look forward to working with Notre Dame's athletic department,” Western Michigan athletic director Kathy Beauregard said. “Scheduling in today's economic climate has an effect on the teams, universities and especially our fans. This is a historic venue and is very accessible to our students, fans and alumni in the Midwest."
This is not the first meeting between these two teams. Western Michigan and Notre Dame played in 1919 and 1920 with Notre Dame winning both contests. According to the Western Michigan sports information department, Western Michigan played the Notre Dame "B" (1-1), Reserve (1-1) and Frosh teams (6-2) from 1916 to 1931. The last meeting between the Broncos and a team sponsored by Notre Dame came in 1931, a 27-6 win over the Notre Dame "B" team.
"This makes sense on all levels, for our university, for our fans and for our team,” Western Michigan coach Bill Cubit said. “When we speak to recruits and our players, we tell them you will have the opportunity to play against anyone in the country and that now includes Notre Dame.”