Notre Dame and Georgia will play in 2017 and 2019, marking the first regular-season meetings between the two schools. The Bulldogs will play in South Bend on Sept. 9, 2017, while the Irish will play in Athens on Sept. 21, 2019. The top-ranked Bulldogs beat the No. 7 Irish in the Sugar Bowl to win the national championship in 1980 in their only previous meeting. Athletic director Jack Swarbrick said he had been seeking to add a Southeastern Conference opponent to the schedule. He said the Irish had been scheduled to play teams from every major conference except the SEC. The Irish lost to Alabama 42-14 in the 2012 BCS title game and last played an SEC regular-season opponent in 2005, a 41-21 win over Tennessee.