The Holy War
Boston College vs. Notre Dame
Boston College and Notre Dame first met in 1975 and have played 28 times; officially, Notre Dame leads 18–9; as played, 19–9. Over the last 10 meetings it’s Notre Dame 10–0, and Notre Dame has won the last 10. The winner takes home the Ireland Trophy, played for since 1994. Notre Dame has held it since the 2009 game. The NCAA vacated Notre Dame’s win (2012); it doesn’t count officially. This page counts every game as it was played. Share
2028 at Notre Dame; 2030 at Boston College; 2033 at Boston College; 2035 at Notre Dame. As the programs’ Wikipedia articles list them (CC BY-SA).
- Official series
- Notre Dame leads 18–9
- Boston College wins on file
- 9
- Notre Dame wins on file
- 19
- Ties
- 0
- First meeting
- 1975
- Longest streak
- 10 Notre Dame
- Current streak
- 10 Notre Dame
- Last 10 meetings
- Notre Dame 10–0
- Most recent
- 2025
The series at a glance
| ’0 | ’1 | ’2 | ’3 | ’4 | ’5 | ’6 | ’7 | ’8 | ’9 | W–L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0–1 | ||||||||||
| 1980s | 0–2 | ||||||||||
| 1990s | 3–5 | ||||||||||
| 2000s | 6–2 | ||||||||||
| 2010s | 0–6 | ||||||||||
| 2020s | 0–3 |
- Both ranked
- 2 meetings: Boston College 1, Notre Dame 1; 1 both in the top 10
- Average margin
- 14.3 points; 12 decided by one score (8 or fewer)
- At Boston College
- 4–7 Boston College’s record at home
- At Notre Dame
- 9–5 Notre Dame’s record at home
- Neutral sites
- 0–3 Boston College first
- Shutouts
- 2
Every meeting on file, as played. Ranks are the AP poll’s going in.
Ireland Trophy
- Played for since
- 1994
- Held by
- Notre Dame since the 2009 game
- Games for it on file
- 23 Notre Dame 15, Boston College 8
Who holds it comes from the games on file: the winner of the latest regular-season meeting since 1994 (bowl rematches aren’t played for it); a tie leaves it with the holder (the usual rule; the article doesn’t say). From Wikipedia’s list of rivalry games and the rivalry’s article (CC BY-SA). More on the Ireland Trophy.
Games that tell the story
- Boston College’s biggest win1994: Boston College 30, Notre Dame 11by 19 points
- Notre Dame’s biggest win1992: Notre Dame 54, Boston College 7by 47 points
- Upset1993: Boston College 41, Notre Dame 39Boston College had a 20% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
- Upset2002: Boston College 14, Notre Dame 7Boston College had a 25% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
- Upset1999: Boston College 31, Notre Dame 29Boston College had a 34% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
- Ranked showdown1992: Notre Dame 54, Boston College 7No. 9 Boston College at No. 8 Notre Dame
- Ranked showdown1993: Boston College 41, Notre Dame 39No. 17 Boston College at No. 1 Notre Dame
Coach against coach
| Years | Boston College | Series | Notre Dame |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994–1996 | Dan Henning | 1–2 | Lou Holtz |
| 1997–2001 | Tom O’Brien | 2–3 | Bob Davie |
| 2002–2004 | Tom O’Brien | 3–0 | Tyrone Willingham |
| 2010–2012 | Frank Spaziani | 0–3 | Brian Kelly |
| 2015–2019 | Steve Addazio | 0–3 | Brian Kelly |
Head-coach pairings with three or more meetings on file, the series read from Boston College’s side (Henning 1–2 against Holtz). A season split between coaches goes to the one credited with the game.
Both programs through the years
Our Elo rating at the end of each season, a measure of how strong a team was, not a forecast; 1500 is an average FBS team.
Stars of the series
Biggest days
| Brandon Wimbush Notre Dame | 21 carries, 207 yards, 4 TD | 2017 Rushing | |
| Josh Adams Notre Dame | 18 carries, 229 yards | 2017 Rushing |
Biggest days: the week’s best individual games by our big-days rule, from box scores (2004 on).
On television
| 2025 | ESPN | 1.7 million viewers |
Viewers: Nielsen, as compiled by nschultz7’s ratings tracker.
Every game
Every game is listed as played on the field; a win the NCAA later vacated is marked “vacated”; the official series above counts them the NCAA’s way.