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Where to Watch Notre Dame vs. Northern Illinois in Week 2: NBC and Peacock Details

After a huge win against Texas A&M, the unbeaten Fighting Irish head to South Bend for their 2024 home opener.

By Benjamin Bullard

Just two short weeks into the still-fresh new season, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish might already be poised for a coveted spot among the early contenders to earn a place in the first-ever College Football Playoff.

Coming off a major road win against SEC foe Texas A&M, head coach Marcus Freeman and QB Riley Leonard are set to lead the Irish back to South Bend, where they’ll open the 2024 home season this weekend as heavy favorites against a hungry Mid-American Conference (MAC) opponent.

RELATED: Everything to Know About Notre Dame’s 2024 Football Schedule

Will Notre Dame’s home opener be on TV? You bet it will! And we’ve got all the details on how to watch. Just scroll below for everything you need to know before the Notre Dame Fighting Irish take the field against the Northern Illinois University Huskies in Week 3 of the college football season on NBC and Peacock.

Who does Notre Dame play in their 2024 college football home opener?

players on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrate after a play on the football field

Notre Dame will welcome the Huskies of Northern Illinois University (NIU) to South Bend on Saturday, September 7 to kick off their 2024 college football home action.

NIU plays in the Mid-American Conference, a college football peer group loaded with midwestern rivals who don’t always get top TV billing… unless, that is, they’re facing a big-ticket team like Notre Dame. For the Irish, this weekend’s contest marks only a brief home-field respite before the squad hits the road once more, heading down the following weekend to West Lafayette, Indiana for a matchup against in-state Big Ten opponent Purdue.

What to expect when Notre Dame hosts Northern Illinois at home

Jayden Thomas of Notre Dame Fighting Irish catches the football during a play

Northern Illinois might be a MAC team, but the Huskies have shown glimpses of life in recent seasons under head coach Thomas Hammock. After finishing last season with a 7-6 winning record, they’ll be looking to score a huge early-season stunner against a Notre Dame team that’s already proven its mettle after starting the season with a No. 7 ranking in the Associated Press preseason poll, and having now moved up to No. 5.

RELATED: Where to Watch Here Come the Irish, Peacock’s Notre Dame Football Docu-series

The Irish are fresh off one of the biggest wins of the still-young college football season. Notre Dame toughed it out big time in their 2024 opening game, taking a hard-won 23-13 victory over the Texas A&M Aggies — all accomplished in the notoriously rowdy hostile territory of the Aggies’ 102,000-seat Kyle Field cauldron.

RELATED: Why Is Notre Dame Independent and Not in a College Football Conference?

Things will be decidedly more favorable for the Irish this weekend, as NIU brings a capable but untested team into South Bend for an uphill battle against one of the NCAA’s premiere football programs.

For fans of both teams, it’s a chance to read the early-season tea leaves. Can NIU find a way to jump-start their season with a headline-stealing win? Can Notre Dame keep the consistency up on both sides of the ball — especially after putting up some big-time defensive stands, when the spotlight shined brightest, in their hyped-up Week 1 win against the mighty SEC?

When does Notre Dame vs. Northern Illinois kick off?

On Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET, Notre Dame takes the field against the Northern Illinois Huskies. NIU is off to a 1-0 start after besting Western Illinois by a convincing 54-15 margin in Week 1, though the Irish, playing before the home-field fans at Notre Dame Stadium, are heavily favored in this one.

How can you watch the Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. the Northern Illinois Huskies?

There are two ways to watch this weekend’s Notre Dame football game against Northern Illinois: It’ll be broadcast live on NBC and simulcast on Peacock — just like all of Notre Dame’s 2024 home games. On both NBC and on Peacock, kickoff time for this weekend’s matchup is at 3:30 p.m. ET.

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