Two weeks ago, USC and Notre Dame announced that the two schools will renew their storied football rivalry beginning in 2030. However, the Trojans and Irish are not set to face off in the regular season for the next four years.
But could they meet before then in the postseason? In his 2026 college football season predictions, Brett Ciancia of Pick Six Previews has USC and Notre Dame playing each other in the first round of the College Football Playoff. The winner of that game would advance to meet Georgia in the quarterfinals.
For starters, any prediction that has the Trojans in the playoff will be music to the ears of USC fans. Beyond that, getting college football’s greatest intersectional rivalry in a winner-take-all postseason game would be appointment
television for all fans of the sport.
First, however, USC needs to worry about making the playoff. This will not be an easy task, as even without the Irish on the schedule, the Trojans still have to play a difficult Big Ten schedule that includes Indiana, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, and Washington.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Preview magazine has USC and Notre Dame facing off in CFP
