With negotiations between USC and Notre Dame underway, the once-dead rivalry may soon get new life.
Public support seems to be firmly behind the resumption of the annual battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh, including from some influential college administrators and media members.
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Recently, both Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua and ESPN’s “College GameDay” host Rece Davis spoke publicly in support of the two historic programs playing.
Oct 18, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback CJ Carr (13) runs for a touchdown against the Southern California Trojans during the second half at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images
Bevacqua told Davis that expanding the College Football Playoff would better accommodate a regular matchup between the two teams.
“Do we want to play USC in the future? 100 percent, yeah,” Bevacqua said, as reported by Pete Simpson of The Athletic. “We think that’s great for Notre Dame. We think it’s great for USC, we think it is great for college football. And at this point, that’s really all I can say about that.”
Davis, on the “College GameDay Podcast,” said USC-Notre Dame is just one example of the kinds of programs who need to be playing against each other regularly, and not just for the fans.
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It’s also important for potential playoff seeding at the end of the year.
After all, Notre Dame just missed out on the CFP last year, and the Trojans, ranked No. 16 at the time, was perhaps the Irish’s best win of the season.
Without it, they wouldn’t even have been in the discussion.
“They need to play these games,” Davis said. “It’s not just Notre Dame and USC. There are a lot of schools — Georgia and Florida State, they opted out and are going to do some neutral-site thing. Just play the game. Just play it. It’s better for everybody.”
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