Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last two years… the Notre Dame vs USC rivalry game is in jeopardy of ending as a yearly game in South Bend and Los Angeles. Saturday night’s game inside Notre Dame Stadium
was the last scheduled game between the two programs, and there has been plenty of public back and forth debating the future of the series.
And no one knows for sure what’s next. We keep hearing that both sides are “optimistic” that the series will continue, but there’s no evidence of that whatsoever. Keep in mind… this is all USC’s fault. This series could have gone on the way it has been for over 95 years, and everything would be just fine. USC is the one that wants a change because they are absolutely the softest blue blood program out there.
So what might happen? I think there are three very likely scenarios in a sea of a hundred different scenarios.
1. The series ends with no agreements for anything in the future other than the typical, “we might be able to revisit this in a few years,” blah blah blah.
2. The series continues just as it has for almost 100 years.
3. The series continues… but with some major concessions.
If I had to predict which one it will be, it’s probably option three. So what might that look like?
USC really wants to move this game to the beginning of the season. I don’t think it necessarily means game one every year, but it definitely means within the first three weeks of the season. While this keeps the rivalry intact, it puts a major dent into the scheduling philosophy that Notre Dame has tried to maintain. It IS hard, regardless of being a program that most schools would love to have on the schedule, to get good games in November for the Irish because of the conference schedules of everyone else.
How can option three work for Notre Dame?
This is where the ACC partnership has to become a useful tool for Notre Dame. If Notre Dame is to get more games against Miami, Florida State, and Clemson in the future — these can be the replacements for the USC away game in even years. However, it might mean at least a one year pause in the USC series just to get things ironed out as the Irish certainly don’t want to have an extremely front loaded schedule that starts in week ZERO.
In 2026, for example, Notre Dame has 10 games scheduled. It’s an even year that typically would end in L.A. — but why not Miami?
In 2027, there is much more wiggle room to start the season.
So here’s the thing… Notre Dame and USC can make this work if they want. The programs SHOULD keep everything as it is, and not screw with history and tradition. There is, however, some creative ways to move forward and keep the series. While I am definitely someone that would prefer option two, I can live with option three.
What’s next is anyone’s guess, but one thing we know for sure is that in today’s college football — anything can happen for any reason. Conference realignment and the new playoff structure has made fools out of most of the sport as everyone continues to chase dollars and narratives while leaving land mines in their wake. Nothing is for certain until a document is signed — or isn’t.
(Also… USC is the softest program in America and it’s why they will never win anything of significance ever again).
