The Future of the Unparalleled USC-Notre Dame Rivalry Game

Tyrone Willingham and Pete Carroll | Rivalry — © Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Two of the most historic college football programs have met annually since 1926 aside from 1945-to-1946 (World War II) and in 2020 (COVID-19 pandemic). When the rivals play in Los Angeles, they meet in the final week of the season, and, in alternating years, when they play in South Bend, Ind. the games take place during the middle of October

With USC moving on from the Pac-12 Conference and into the Big Ten Conference, many have questioned whether the two will continue to play one another each year.

The two compete for the Jeweled Shillelagh, the trophy has been given to the winner every year since 1952.

Bevacqua Hopes to Maintain Rivalry

Notre Dame’s Athletic Director Pete Bevacqua emphatically expressed the university's intention to preserve the rivalry: "We have every intention in the world and desire to keep USC-Notre Dame going." He also said that the USC administration is "gung ho" on keeping the rivalry going.

However, it would be understandable if USC sought to bail. Their in-conference games are more difficult now that they’re in the Big Ten. Now that the Trojans are going to be regularly squaring off against the likes of Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State, why would they want to have an annual nonconference game against a Fighting Irish team that is frequently one of the nation's best? Simply as a result of being in the B1G, USC's strength of schedule will be high every year.

Lincoln Riley's Comments

During Big Ten Media Days, when reporters asked USC head coach Lincoln Riley whether he wants to maintain the rivalry, he responded: "I would love to. I know it means a lot to a lot of people. The purist in you, no doubt. Now if you get in a position where you got to make a decision on what's best for SC to help us win a national championship vs. keeping that, shoot, then you got to look at it."

Thus, Riley was not quite as unequivocal about maintaining the rivalry as the Irish AD.

For the foreseeable future, the Fighting Irish will be an Independent. Until they eventually crack and join a conference that will pay top dollar to have them in the fold, Notre Dame will piece together 12-game schedules they hope give them opportunities for enough "quality wins" to get them into the College Football Playoff. Wins against USC invariably constitute quality wins.

Of course, if Notre Dame eventually joins the Big Ten, the Trojan-Irish rivalry would be cemented long-term like the USC-UCLA rivalry has been preserved.

Undoubtedly, negotiations will take place between Notre Dame and the Power Four conferences regarding the possibility of Notre Dame eventually joining one of the premier leagues.