College GameDay is on campus, Miami arrives unbeaten, and kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. This guide covers parking, shuttles, trains and the weekend schedule.
Notre Dame hosts its biggest home game in years on Saturday. ESPN announced on Oct. 31 that College GameDay will broadcast from campus before Notre Dame hosts No. 1 Miami on Nov. 7. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
A morning TV show plus a night kickoff adds up to a game day that runs more than 12 hours. Hotels, restaurants and parking lots will fill early. Downtown South Bend's First Fridays, Arts After Dark, 5 to 9 p.m., and how to get home afterward.
The quick version
- College GameDay: Saturday, Nov. 7, 9 a.m. to noon ET on ESPN and ESPNU, live from Library Lawn on campus.
- Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET at Notre Dame Stadium, on NBC and Peacock
- Stadium gates: Open 90 minutes before kickoff, so 6 p.m.
- Tailgate lots: Open at 8 a.m. You need a parking pass.
- Free ride from downtown: Transpo's Game Day Express
- Train from Chicago: The South Shore Line plus a free airport shuttle. An extra train leaves for Chicago 90 minutes after the final whistle.
- Friday night: Downtown South Bend's First Fridays, Arts After Dark, 5 to 9 p.m. on the 400 block of South Michigan Street
Coming from Chicago? South Bend runs on Eastern time, an hour ahead of you. Every time in this guide is Eastern.
Why this game matters
This is a rematch. Miami beat the Irish 27-24 in the 2025 season opener. That head-to-head result later decided the last at-large spot in the College Football Playoff, and it went to Miami. Notre Dame then withdrew from bowl consideration. Miami went on to reach the national championship game, where it lost 27-21 to Indiana on Jan. 19.
Both teams arrive in good shape. Miami is 8-0 and No. 1 in the AP poll after escaping North Carolina 38-35 on Halloween night. Notre Dame is 7-1 and No. 4 after beating Navy 35-13. Its only loss was 28-24 at BYU on Oct. 17.
There's history in the building, too. This is Miami's first trip to South Bend in a decade, and the Hurricanes haven't won at Notre Dame Stadium since 1984. The most famous game in the series is the 1988 meeting, a 31-30 Notre Dame win in South Bend on the way to Lou Holtz's national title. It's also the first Notre Dame-Miami game on campus since Holtz died in March at 89.
The Indiana angle
GameDay spent last weekend in Bloomington for Indiana-Minnesota. Saturday will be Notre Dame's 13th time as host. Its last visit was the December 2024 College Football Playoff game against Indiana. That makes two straight weekends of GameDay in Indiana.
Friday, Nov. 6
Notre Dame football weekends start on Friday.
- Football Fridays at the Eck, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The Eck Visitors Center hosts a free event with food, interviews, student performances and photo ops.
- Trumpets at the Dome, 4:10 p.m. The band's trumpet section plays on the Main Quad for about 10 minutes.
- First Fridays: Arts After Dark, 5 to 9 p.m. Downtown South Bend is moving November's First Fridays a few blocks south, to the 400 block of South Michigan Street, which is becoming known as downtown's art district. Expect local art, handmade gifts, food and live entertainment on the sidewalks, extending to the old Inwoods Store building. The street stays open to traffic. The night continues at Rocki Button afterward. If you're staying downtown, it's an easy Friday night plan. Details are at downtownsouthbend.com.
- Midnight Drummers Circle: Just before midnight, after the Basilica bells chime, the drumline plays on the Main Quad. Notre Dame lists it as 11:59 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Many fans treat it as the official start of game day.
Saturday, Nov. 7: How the day plays out
| Time (ET) | What's happening |
|---|---|
| 8 a.m. | Tailgate lots open (parking pass required) |
| 9 a.m. to noon | College GameDay live from Library Lawn on ESPN and ESPNU |
| 4:30 p.m. | Game Day Express starts running from downtown |
| 5:15 p.m. | Victory March: the team walks from the Basilica of the Sacred Heart to the stadium |
| 6 p.m. | Stadium gates open |
| 6:30 p.m. | Last Game Day Express departure from downtown |
| 6:45 p.m. | The band marches from the Main Building to the stadium |
| 7:30 p.m. | Kickoff on NBC and Peacock |
Notre Dame posts the full game-day schedule on its official event page.
Getting there
Driving and parking
Official tailgate lots open at 8 a.m., and you'll need a Notre Dame-issued parking pass displayed the whole time. Passes for select lots are sold in advance through the Murnane Family Ticket Office.
Saint Mary's College is another option. It charges $40 per car or $80 per RV, and a free shuttle runs between Saint Mary's and McKenna Hall on Notre Dame's campus. The shuttle starts three hours before kickoff and keeps running for two hours after the game.
The free option: Transpo's Game Day Express
It's the easiest option if you're staying downtown or don't want to pay for parking. Transpo's Game Day Express is free and open to anyone. It runs from downtown South Bend to McKenna Hall, across from the Eck Visitors Center.
- It starts three hours before kickoff, so 4:30 p.m. Saturday.
- The last downtown departure is one hour before kickoff, at 6:30 p.m.
- It runs again for two hours after the game.
Downtown parking garages are free, and so is the Century Center lot. Park there, eat downtown, and ride the bus up. Full route details are at sbtranspo.com.
From Chicago: South Shore Line
The South Shore Line's game-day plan for a 7:30 kickoff:
- Trains to South Bend International Airport: Train 503 arrives at 11:38 a.m., Train 505 at 2:05 p.m., and Train 507 at 4:18 p.m. (all ET).
- Free shuttle to campus: Board near the South Shore platform. It drops you at the IU School of Medicine building, 1234 N. Notre Dame Ave.
- Getting home: The return shuttle leaves campus one hour after the game ends. An extra westbound train leaves the airport 90 minutes after the game ends.
- Veterans and active-duty military ride free Nov. 7 through 11. No ID is needed, and up to three children 13 and under ride free with each.
Check mysouthshoreline.com the week of the game for any changes.
What about the Niles Amtrak station?
This came up in r/SouthBend, so here's what we found. The Amtrak station in Niles, Michigan, is on the Wolverine and Blue Water routes. It's about 13 miles north of the South Bend Amtrak station.
Amtrak's Saturday schedule has no westbound train out of Niles after the game. The last one leaves at 9:52 p.m. ET, well before a 7:30 kickoff ends. We didn't find an official game-day shuttle to Niles either. If you're headed to Chicago, take the South Shore Line's extra post-game train instead.
Before you walk up to the gate
- Clear bags only. Bags must be clear plastic, vinyl or PVC, no bigger than 12 by 6 by 12 inches, or a one-gallon clear zip bag. Small clutches and wallets up to 4.5 by 6.5 inches are fine. Backpacks, coolers and non-clear purses are not. Bags are checked at the gate, and there's nowhere to leave one you can't bring in. Approved clear bags are sold at Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore locations and game-day merchandise kiosks. The full policy is at fightingirish.com.
- The stadium is cashless. Bring a card.
- Expect metal detectors at every entrance.
Where to eat and drink
Restaurants near campus fill up on game weekends, so book ahead where you can. Near campus, Eddy Street Commons has the most options in one walkable spot. Rohr's is inside the Morris Inn. Legends of Notre Dame, just south of the stadium, opens at noon and closes at 7:30 p.m. on a 7:30 game day. Downtown, Fiddler's Hearth (127 N. Main St.) is close to the Game Day Express. Corby's Irish Pub is just east of the river in East Bank Village. Call ahead for hours.
Watching from home
- College GameDay: 9 a.m. to noon ET on ESPN and ESPNU, streaming on the ESPN app
- The game: 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC, streaming on Peacock
How we reported this
We built this guide from official sources and checked every time and price on Nov. 3, 2026: Notre Dame Athletics, Saint Mary's College, South Bend Transpo, the South Shore Line, Amtrak, Downtown South Bend Inc. and Visit South Bend. For the game and the series history, we used the AP Top 25, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Covers and PBS NewsHour. If something changes before Saturday, we'll update this page and note it at the top.
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