Villanova Scheduling: Kevin Willard’s Accidental Scoop

Villanova head coach Kevin Willard accidentally broke some news during his podcast appearance with CBS insider Jon Rothstein, announcing that the Wildcats will host Notre Dame during the 2026-27 season.

“Next season, you know, we’re playing Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Michigan,” Willard said.

“Did you break some news here?” Rothstein chipped in. “Is there a new agreement on the table with Villanova and Notre Dame?”

“Oh, did I?” Willard responded. “Is that not public yet?” He went on to say that he wasn’t sure if the planned home-and-home series would start in Philadelphia or South Bend, but that adds a bit of clarity for the Wildcats’ schedule next season. Villanova will play each of their ten conference foes in the Big East twice per their round robin format; they’ll play at home against the Badgers and Wolverines and go on the road to face Pitt, who they hosted in the first leg of a home-and-home this season.

That leaves seven out-of-conference games remaining on their 31-game schedule. If they stick with the current Big 5 format, that will add games against three of Temple, Saint Joseph’s, Penn, Drexel and La Salle, but that’s far from a given. News typically starts to filter out in April and May, with dates finalized in August and September.

Click here to read more of what Kevin Willard had to say in his conversation with Rothstein.