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Breaking news in the college football world today as it was revealed that Notre Dame has elected to opt out of its contract with the University of Michigan. The contract had provided for annual meetings between the Wolverines and the Fighting Irish, continuing through the 2017 season. Now the last regularly scheduled meeting between the teams will occur in 2014.
Assuming this decision stands, the 2015 season will seem highly unusual for both fans in the Big Ten and fans of the Irish. The Irish and the Wolverines have now met 29 times since the 1979 season. Though it's likely that Notre Dame and Michigan will play each other in the future, it's quite possible that such tilts will become increasingly less frequent now that Notre Dame is scheduled to play a minimum of five games against ACC opponents in the football season.
As of now, we also do not know the fate of other semi-regular match-ups between the Irish and other teams from around the Big Ten conference. The Spartans and Boilermakers also have longstanding rivalries with Notre Dame. Will these games be next on the chopping block to make way for the new ACC competition? Stay tuned.