Notre Dame-USC rivalry game discussions back on after college football series ended in 2026

One of the biggest stories of the 2025-2026 college football season was the collapse of the historic USC Trojans-Notre Dame Irish Challenge rivalry.

Long referred to as “The Greatest Intersectional Rivalry in College Football,” the game matched two of the sport’s most established teams. Every season since 1926, World War II. Played outside of World War II and COVID quarantine years, both fan bases have loved the annual tradition and the opportunity to travel to historic stadiums in Los Angeles and South Bend.

As such, the reaction to the news of the series’ end, albeit temporary, was largely one of disappointment and disappointment. From both sides.

Who is to blame for the end of the series mostly comes down to loyalty. Much of the disagreement between the two sides was over timing. USC fans are taking note of comments Irish head coach Marcus Freeman made about the rivalry and his commitment to it in 2025.

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“It’s pretty black and white for me,” Freeman said at the time. “You want my opinion? I want to play them every year. When? I don’t care. I don’t care when we play them. Early season, midseason, late season — I don’t care. I want to play USC every year because it’s great for college football.”

These comments resurfaced after the series was largely canceled due to Notre Dame not wanting to move the game from its traditional spot in October or November to Week 0. USC head coach Lincoln Riley also brought this up, saying at the end of the season: “The truth is very, very clear, and this could all be resolved very quickly – if Notre Dame had kept their word and played us anytime, anywhere, we would have played them the next two years, and then after that we would have looked forward and hopefully they would have continued the streak. They didn’t follow through. So, we’re not playing them the next couple years.”

Notre Dame fans would counter that USC had joined the Big Ten Conference and the Trojans shouldn’t have to adjust to the new travel schedule and conference affiliation. While both sides expressed their intention to continue negotiations, priorities appeared to have shifted. Notre Dame has a much easier schedule in 2026 with its new arrangement that guarantees them a spot in the College Football Playoff if they finish in the top 12 of the season’s final poll. Facing a pivotal year for Riley and the program, and already with a brutal schedule, USC took San Jose State over the Irish.

But a new report Los Angeles Times On Monday, it was stated that the two sides renewed talks to restart the competition. With a disappointing caveat.

USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches from the sideline before the game against the UCLA Bruins at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 29, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Harry How/Getty Images)

Ryan Kartje reported that both sides are back at the table, “although it is not yet clear when the rivalry series will return or what the terms will be.” More importantly, according to Kartje, the Irish are now “willing to discuss playing the game at the start of the season.”

This source was now “optimistic that a deal could be reached” but the earliest timeline for the game’s reboot would likely be 2030.

It was always possible that Notre Dame would compromise on the timing because, simply put, the Irish need the game more than USC. The Trojans are now in a super conference. The conference that has won three national championships in a row. Their schedule in 2026 is already extremely difficult, with road games at Penn State, Wisconsin and defending national champion Indiana, as well as home games against Ohio State, Oregon and Washington. Not to mention playing the UCLA rivalry game “on the road” at the Rose Bowl.

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Three playoff teams, the reigning champions and road games in extremely challenging environments at Wisconsin and Penn State. Oh, and Washington was the 13th-best team in the country last year, according to analytics-based ranking system SP+. If the Notre Dame game had continued in 2026, SC would have played four of the top five teams in the country last season according to SP+. Then, if they could somehow overcome this challenge and finish in the top two places in the conference, they would be rewarded by playing another top 5 team in the Big Ten Championship game.

My point is that USC can reach the playoffs at 10-2 without the Irish. But Notre Dame doesn’t have a championship game or a tight conference schedule to stand out as an independent. That’s why they need more opportunities for big earnings to bolster their resumes. Or they may be at risk of falling out of the top 12 in some seasons due to schedules perceived as weaker than their Big Ten or SEC rivals.

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Jeremiyah Love runs the ball against Southern California Trojans safety Kamari Ramsey during the Notre Dame Fighting Irish game at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind., on Oct. 18, 2025. (Joseph Weiser/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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USC has reportedly offered to continue the series, where it has traditionally been played in 2026-2027, before moving to Week 0. The Irish balked, then withdrew the offer anyway after SC learned of Notre Dame’s unique agreement with the playoff committee and believed it provided a significant advantage.

The Trojans’ other argument, that nonconference games are traditionally played early in the season in the Big Ten, also had some merit. And it seems the Irish are willing to reconsider that time frame. This is good news for fans of both schools, and fans of the sport are worried that marquee matchups will become a thing of the past. The only bad news? We will have to wait four long years for the next game.