Notre Dame will play Boston College at Fenway Park in 2015

Notre Dame will begin playing five games per season against ACC opponents beginning next season due to their agreement that permits the Irish to play in the league in other sports. That won't keep the Fighting Irish from having a high profile national schedule like they always do.

The Irish have scheduled a "home" game against ACC member Boston College to be played at the home of the Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park.  The game will be part of the Shamrock Series. The Irish will also begin a home and home series with the Texas Longhorns and will not play a Big Ten opponent for the first time in more than 100 years. With a college football playoff on the horizon Notre Dame is looking to boost it's strength of schedule.

"Our schedules the next three seasons, combined with our 2012 and 2013 schedules, truly exhibit Notre Dame's intention to celebrate our independence," says Notre Dame vice president and director of athletics Jack Swarbrick. "We will be playing in virtually every corner of the country and will have a strength of schedule that will serve us well in the new College Football Playoff format."

“We play coast to coast. Jesse Harper made that decision a hundred years ago. It changed the trajectory of the football program and the university, and we’re not going to stray from it,” Swarbrick said.

Here's a look at Notre Dame's schedules from 2014-2016.

 2014

Aug. 30, RICE

Sept. 6, MICHIGAN

Sept. 13, vs. Purdue (at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis)

Sept. 27, vs. Syracuse (at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.)

Oct. 4, STANFORD

Oct. 11, NORTH CAROLINA

Oct. 18, at Florida State

Nov. 1, vs. Navy (at FedEx Field, Landover, Md.)

Nov. 8, at Arizona State

Nov. 15, NORTHWESTERN

Nov. 22, LOUISVILLE

Nov. 29, at USC

2015

Sept. 5, TEXAS

Sept. 12, at Virginia

Sept. 19, GEORGIA TECH

Sept. 26, MASSACHUSETTS

Oct. 3, at Clemson

Oct. 10, NAVY

Oct. 17, USC

Oct. 31, vs. Temple (at Lincoln Financial Services Field)

Nov. 7, at Pittsburgh

Nov. 14, WAKE FOREST

Nov. 21, vs. Boston College (at Fenway Park, Boston)

Nov. 28, at Stanford

2016

Sept. 3, at Texas

Sept. 10, NEVADA

Sept. 17, MICHIGAN STATE

Sept. 24, DUKE

Oct. 1, vs. Syracuse (at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.)

Oct. 8, at North Carolina State

Oct. 15, STANFORD

Oct. 29, MIAMI

Nov. 5, vs. Navy (site TBD)

Nov. 12, vs. Army (at Alamodome, San Antonio)

Nov. 19, VIRGINIA TECH

Nov. 26, at USC

While it's true that Notre Dame will get a boost from a national schedule, the Irish should leave the patsies like UMass, Nevada, Army and Rice off the schedule. I guess you have to fit in some wins somewhere.