Notre Dame and USC are set to add another installment to one of college football’s most storied rivalries on Oct. 18 when the Trojans travel to South Bend. But the future of this iconic series is in question.
That Oct. 18 game is the last one on the current contract between the two schools and, according to Sports Illustrated, USC is reluctant to commit to a long-term extension. The Trojans are uncertain about future College Football Playoff formats and now have to account for the growing demands of a Big Ten football schedule, given that USC is well outside of the conference’s traditional geographic footprint.
USC has to travel to Purdue (2,093 miles), Illinois (2,002 miles) and Nebraska (1,501 miles) during conference play, in addition to that non-conference trip to Notre Dame, which sits around 2,097 miles away from USC’s Los Angeles-based campus.
USC coach Lincoln Riley has previously cast some doubt on his program’s rivalry against Notre Dame.
“There (have) been a lot of teams that sacrifice rivalry games,” Riley told reporters at 2024 Big Ten Media Days. “I’m not saying that’s what’s going to happen, but as we get into this playoff structure and if it changes or not, we get into this new conference, we’re going to learn some about this as we go and what the right and best track is to winning a national championship.”
In spite of its reported trepidation, USC has offered to at least play Notre Dame in Los Angeles in 2026, according to Sports Illustrated. Notre Dame wants more, though.
“I think Southern Cal and Notre Dame should play every year for as long as college football is played, and SC knows that’s how we feel,” Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua told Sports Illustrated.
Notre Dame, which isn’t shackled to a conference, has not shied away from stacking its schedule in order to build its playoff résumé. The Irish recently entered into a 12-year scheduling agreement with perennial ACC power Clemson, and they intend on playing Miami and Florida State more often.
“We strive to consistently create a football schedule that positions us for success in the College Football Playoff, and that goal requires us to form historic partnerships like this one with Clemson,” Bevacqua said in a statement when the annual series against Clemson was announced.
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