Pitt, Notre dame to kick off 2005

If Pitt doesn’t break its three-game losing streak to Notre Dame on Saturday, it will get… If Pitt doesn’t break its three-game losing streak to Notre Dame on Saturday, it will get eight extra stabs at it.

With next season’s meeting as the last scheduled between the two schools, Pitt and Notre Dame agreed to an eight-year extension, creating a storied rivalry that will begin in 2008. The series will rotate between the two schools, with the 2008 game to take place in South Bend, Ind.

The Panthers and Irish also agreed to make next season’s contest, which will be at Heinz Field, the season opener for both teams, as they decided on a Sept. 3 kickoff. The game will be nationally televised.

“The University of Pittsburgh and Notre Dame have a rich history on the football field,” Pitt Athletics Director Jeff Long said on PittsburgPanthers.com. “We are very pleased to continue a traditional series with roots that date back to the early 1900s. It’s a rivalry both Pitt and Notre Dame fans, as well as college football fans in general, will be excited about for years to come.”

Pitt and the Irish will not meet in 2006 and 2007, but when the series picks up in 2008, the teams will have met 63 times since 1909. The only other teams Pitt has played more during that span are Penn State and West Virginia.