In 2020, Notre Dame is scheduled to play four out of six away games in NFL stadiums, with a chance to add another game or two in NFL venues by the time it’s all over.

Playing in four NFL venues is certainly unusual, even for a team with unique travel traditions. For the majority of ND’s scheduling history, the Fighting Irish have played one or two games in a neutral city pretty consistently. The only previous time ND has played more than three neutral-site games was in 1929, when it played in Baltimore, New York, and three times in Chicago.

This isn’t just yet another example of Notre Dame being different. There are reasons the schedule ended up this way. One is that Notre Dame fans can bring in big crowds to a neutral site, often more than could make the trip to an opposing team’s home stadium, meaning more revenue for teams who are relocating games from their own stadiums.

Sept. 26 vs. Wake Forest at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte

This will mark the first time the Irish have played here. These two have played four times since 2011, and ND has won twice in Winston-Salem.

Charlotte is a convenient location for Wake fans, and the Panthers’ stadium can hold more ND fans that Wake’s home stadium could.

Oct. 3 vs. Wisconsin at Lambeau Field in Green Bay

The Badgers have already had a similar recent “home-and-home” series in nearby NFL stadiums. LSU and Wisconsin did it in Houston and Lambeau. The Badgers will play the Irish in 2021 at Soldier Field.

Oct. 17 vs. Pitt at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh

The Steelers’ stadium is already also Pitt’s stadium. Since 2009, the attendance average in Heinz field for Pitt-ND has been around 66,000, pretty close to the field’s capacity of 68,400. So in this case, ND’s partial ACC membership meant the Irish were already assigned to play in an NFL venue.

Nov. 14 vs. Georgia Tech at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta

GT announced that one of its home games from 2020 onward will be at the Falcons’ stadium through 2024. Notre Dame was likely happy to move to a bigger venue.

ND benefitted from schools seeing the value of playing in NFL venues, and the pre-designated ACC opponents this year happened to be one that plays in an NFL stadium already (Pitt) and another that wanted to (Georgia Tech).

Overall, this is a unique travel schedule that’s beneficial to the finances of each of these home teams and perhaps beneficial to Notre Dame’s brand. Neutral-site games in college football can be tiresome and lack the kind of atmosphere you get on campus, but having this many of these all in one season is weird enough to be of interest.

And there’s a chance Notre Dame could play in two other NFL venues, too.

The NFL’s Rams are scheduled to move out of the L.A. Coliseum, where USC plays, by 2020. But if construction delays on their new stadium happened to keep the Rams there, Notre Dame could play yet another game in a current NFL stadium that year.

The 2020 College Football Playoff semifinal locations include the Superdome in New Orleans, with the National Championship in Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium. And all four of the non-semifinal New Year’s Six bowls will be hosted in NFL venues (Cotton, Peach, Fiesta, and Orange), plus some smaller bowls like the Gator and Music City.

“Playing in NFL stadiums” isn’t really a goal in and of itself, but why not make your strange schedule even stranger?

(Author’s note: Initially this post was published with the Notre Dame-Navy game’s location as MetLife Stadium. That game has since moved to Dublin, Ireland. A correction has been made.)