For the first time since 1926, USC and Notre Dame will not be going head-to-head in the annual rivalry game in the fall.
The historic rivalry came to an end when the programs’ contracts expired in 2025, and the teams failed to reach a new scheduling agreement. USC wanted to move the game up to Week 0 rather than play in a regular season finale. Historically, the rivalry game has happened in mid-to-late October at Notre Dame or at the end of the regular season at USC.
Quickly after declining USC’s request to move the game up earlier in the season, Notre Dame announced it had filled the 2026 and 2027 schedule vacancies with two games against BYU.
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USC, Notre Dame Resume Negotiations
USC and Notre Dame have reportedly resumed negotiations regarding the scheduling of the rivalry game, according to the Los Angeles Times. However, it is likely the teams still will not play each other until 2030.
“Six months after one of college football’s most storied rivalries stalled, USC and Notre Dame are in active discussions to resume play, The Times has learned.
“It’s not clear yet when the rivalry series will return or what the terms will be. A person familiar with the discussions not authorized to talk about them publicly told The Times that Notre Dame is now willing to discuss playing the game earlier in the season, which had previously been a sticking point. Given future scheduling agreements, it’s possible that the two schools still won’t meet again on a football field until the 2030 season,” Ryan Kartje of the Los Angeles Times wrote.
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On the Trojan’s end, head coach Lincoln Riley said the USC would be open to continuing the rivalry game if Notre Dame was willing to play earlier in the season. Therefore, if Notre Dame is now open to playing earlier, the annual rivalry game could resume in the future.
“The fact is very, very clear, and this can all be settled very quickly — had Notre Dame lived up to their word and played us anytime, anywhere, we would be playing them the next two years and looking ahead after that and hopefully continuing the series,” USC coach Lincoln Riley said in December. “They did not follow through on it. Thus, we are not playing them the next couple years.”
Instead of Notre Dame next season, USC is set to play crosstown rivals, UCLA, in the regular season finale at the Rose Bowl on Nov. 28.
Photo Credit: MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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