Notre Dame vs. USC is officially on hiatus as two sides fail to reach extension. The 97th game in the historic rivalry won’t be happening next season.
After months of stalled talks, USC and Notre Dame will be playing different opponents in 2026.
Will Backus (cbssports.com)— USC and Notre Dame failed to reach an agreement on playing one another during the 2026 season, placing the future of the greatest intersectional annual rivalry game in jeopardy, per Yahoo Sports. USC seeks a replacement opponent while Notre Dame announced a home-and-home series with BYU to take place from 2026-27.
The two universities are still working to restart the series as soon as 2030, though scheduling complications remain a major factor and College Football Playoff considerations put one of college football’s most storied rivalries in jeopardy. The Fighting Irish and the Trojans played yearly since 1946, though the feud saw a brief pause in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“USC and Notre Dame recognize how special our rivalry is to our fans, our teams, and college football, and our institutions will continue working towards bringing back The Battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh,” the schools said in a joint statement they released Monday. “The rivalry between our two schools is one of the best in all of sport, and we look forward to meeting again in the future.”
“I think Southern Cal and Notre Dame should play every year for as long as college football is played, and SC knows that’s how we feel,” Notre Dame AD Pete Bevacqua told Sports Illustrated in May.
USC coachLincoln Riley, meanwhile, cast doubt on the future of the game. “There are some changes that we’ve all just gotta accept, because it’s just part of it right now,” said Riley.
Notre Dame and USC were on the verge of finalizing a two-year extension in November, Yahoo reports, though USC officials backed off after determining that the timing of the proposed game was punitive given the CFP selection committee’s tendency to emphasize late-season losses. USC wanted to play the game in September, a contrast from playing in South Bend in October and Los Angeles in November. Notre Dame refused to bend.
USC also has to deal with the rigors of a travel-heavy Big Ten schedule that sees it play nine conference games on a yearly basis. The Trojans faced three ranked opponents during their 2025 Big Ten slate, while Notre Dame has the flexibility of scheduling as an independent outside of its agreement with the ACC.
“USC is the only team in the Big Ten to play a nonconference road game after Week 4 in either of the past two seasons,” USC AD Jen Cohen said. “USC is also the only team to play a nonconference game after Week 4 in both seasons.”
Notre Dame won three consecutive games, and seven of its last eight, against USC. The Fighting Irish also hold an all-time series record of 51-37-5.
Bye, Bye USC/ND …
USC’s 2026 football schedule features non-conference home games against Fresno State and Louisiana. The Trojans now need to add another non-conference game for next season. USC’s Big Ten schedule includes home games against Maryland, Ohio State, Oregon and Washington. Road trips are to Indiana, Penn State, Rutgers, UCLA and Wisconsin. No dates have been set for the conference games at this point.
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Now that USC/ND is at least temporarily no more … USC needs to return to tradition. Jen Cohen should call Stanford and Cal today. Ethan Inman (Trojans Wire) — Renewing the Stanford rivalry, especially, would soften the blow of losing the Notre Dame rivalry for Trojan fans. It was never as nationally relevant of a rivalry as USC-ND, but the Trojans have played the Cardinal more times than they have played Notre Dame. USC must show that it still cares about tradition. Fans and donors should speak out and advocate for a renewal of either USC-Stanford or USC-Cal and the Weekender for the next… Read more »
“ALA opens up as a 7-point underdog in the Rose Bowl vs IU, the largest dog the Crimson Tide have been since the 2008 SEC Championship vs UF (10-points).”
I am fine with the ND hiatus, and I do think it will be a hiatus, not a permanent condition. I am even fine with ND riding a fraudulent schedule to skate into the playoff. When they get there, they will get absolutely paved over by whatever legitimate playoff team they run into. ND playoff history is even more embarrassing than ND’s bowl results since their last Natty in ’93. This year is equally if not more embarrassing, shutting down the whole thing in a whine-fest. I honestly don’t know what they play for over there. Anyway, as a team… Read more »
I should add that, outside of Miami, in 2026 ND plays 11 teams that averaged 5 wins this year. Eight of the teams ND will play didn’t pass 5 wins this season or become bowl eligible. Navy is skewing the average with 10 wins, but it filled up on wins against competition along the lines of Florida Atlantic. I actually feel sorry for ND fans that this is what they are going to crowd into that stadium to see next year.
Here’s Kwiatkowski’s record based on how his defenses(as a DC) finished nationally in total defense. 2011 14th 2012….12th 2013….73rd 2014….59th 2015….28th 2016….11th 2017….9th 2018….10th 2019….33rd 2020….25th 2021….96th 2022….44th 2023….28th 2024….4th 2025….29th So in the last 14 years, he’s been 33rd or better 10 times. He’s been 44th or worst 4 times. That’s not bad at all. He’s been 14th or better 5 times.That isn’t bad. If we can find someone better, I’d say go for it. But if not, this guy has a really good record. Plus, he’s been a DC 23 years whereas Lynn has only been a DC 3… Read more »
K also develops linemen……and we need to develop folks unless we are going to compete with the folks like Oregon and O State for the huge dollar players.
Well…..as much as I’d like to add to my pile of anti Riley posts…….I can’t. In the new world where USC has to play Penn State, Ohio State, Indiana, Oregon, Wisconsin, Rutgers, UCLA and another unnamed program in one year the OOC has to be a little softer. Three loss teams (unless you are in the crooked SEC) do not make the playoffs…..and that is a the first step goal. Winning the BIG means very little….it’s how you do in the playoffs. Plainly…..No playoff years for programs like USC are a failure. Some folks may disagree and claim a 9-3… Read more »
Does defense really win championships? For some reason, I like to think so.
We’re gonna find out whether that still holds true when the defensively terrific ‘Canes meet the high-scoring Buckeyes (35 PPG) in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 31, at 4:30 p.m. ET at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Like I said before…..11 of the last 25 NC’s have finished #1 in total defense. Seventeen of the last 25 NC’s have finished in the top 10 in total defense. 22 out of the last 25 NC’s have finished in the top 25 in total defense.
I draw the line at this move by SC’s Cohen and Riley. The biggest tradition has, the one that put both schools in prominence in college athletics, is now history. With NIL and free agency and soaring coaches salaries, college football is now in out rear view mirror. Enter now is another level of professional football, with little or no real ties to the institutions that sponsor it (see transfer), certainly no academic aspects for the majority of players, and, of course, dwindling support by student bodies and alumni (somewhat offset by “fans” who never attended a D1 university. At… Read more »
I think your take is completely wrong.The way the series is scheduled now greatly works to Notre Dame’s advantage.Especially with them not being in a conference. Do you think the Buckeyes would agree to play the Irish one week after they play Michigan? Do you Miami would play Notre Dame in October, during the middle of conference games? Would Texas agree to play Oklahoma and A&M back to back? None of these schools do, but because of tradition, you think SC should not makes waves and accept being screwed. Notre Dame was offered a contract to continue the series, with… Read more »
I do think Riley is a p**ssy and would love to have a Big 12 schedule again, but I think Cohen was right to stand her ground here. Miami will be ND’s one chance for a signature win. Their schedule beyond MIA will be a frigging joke. So in 2026, they could lose to Miami, run the table against the average and sub-average teams on their schedule and finish 11-1 and be in the top 12 because they are ND. Another playoff season for ND. This will tick off many in the CFB world. And the ACC is a basketball… Read more »
I do think the rivalry will occur from time to time, maybe eventually resume, but there are a lot of things that could change that would dictate it, like ND’s playoff guarantee, an expanded playoff field, etc.
ND is feeling the pressure of not belonging to a conference that has finally affected its once ability to play in a major bowl or BCS just because it was their name. I hope the ACC gets fed up with the Irish wanting its cake & eat it too just borrowing a conference name for their own benefit. I believe any other conference ND tries to use a conference will be told to get lost. The playoff, which ND agreed to, will penalize any program that doesn’t measure up to conference play.
ND’s schedule next year is pitiful. They play MIA and the 11 dwarves, 10 dwarves if you think BYU is worthy.
They will get into the playoffs with their 2026 special playoff arrangement in all likelihood.
Too bad our series with the Irish has been put on hiatus. But they backed USC into a corner and basically told USC to shove it. I don’t see how you can look at it any other way, but I need to read some ND takes on the matter.
According to a well placed source, the Irish said no to moving the game to September. So I blame them, despite their mantra of playing SC anywhere, anytime
I wish we could schedule the game as the third OOC game each season. I think the stubbornness of ND is awful: ND getting the secret guarantee starting next season that ND is in the playoffs. ND quitting on their bowl game because they got screwed out of the playoff. They did get screwed, but nobody thought that their quitting was a worthy response. Finally, cancelling the greatest intersectional rivalry in college football after nearly a century because of ND not wanting to play the game early in the season, is ridiculous. Strike three, yer out! ND is blowing a… Read more »
BYU is their last minute attempt to fill the schedule out. I believe it is the best they could get and likely sent feelers out to other power teams, who all said no. BYU is no power school and is a consolation prize at best, because they sure aren’t in the same league as USC. With their cream puff schedule next year and their “special inclusion clause”, how can they NOT be ranked in the top 12.
After months of stalled talks, USC and Notre Dame will be playing different opponents in 2026.
“USC and Notre Dame recognize how special our rivalry is to our fans, our teams, and college football, and our institutions will continue working towards bringing back The Battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh,” the schools said in a joint statement they released Monday. “The rivalry between our two schools is one of the best in all of sport, and we look forward to meeting again in the future.”
Notre Dame and USC were on the verge of finalizing a two-year extension in November, Yahoo reports, though USC officials backed off after determining that the timing of the proposed game was punitive given the CFP selection committee’s tendency to emphasize late-season losses. USC wanted to play the game in September, a contrast from playing in South Bend in October and Los Angeles in November. Notre Dame refused to bend.
Now that USC/ND is at least temporarily no more … USC needs to return to tradition. Jen Cohen should call Stanford and Cal today. Ethan Inman (Trojans Wire) — Renewing the Stanford rivalry, especially, would soften the blow of losing the Notre Dame rivalry for Trojan fans. It was never as nationally relevant of a rivalry as USC-ND, but the Trojans have played the Cardinal more times than they have played Notre Dame. USC must show that it still cares about tradition. Fans and donors should speak out and advocate for a renewal of either USC-Stanford or USC-Cal and the Weekender for the next… Read more »
Playing Stanford(home and home) sounds like a great idea.
“ALA opens up as a 7-point underdog in the Rose Bowl vs IU, the largest dog the Crimson Tide have been since the 2008 SEC Championship vs UF (10-points).”
I am fine with the ND hiatus, and I do think it will be a hiatus, not a permanent condition. I am even fine with ND riding a fraudulent schedule to skate into the playoff. When they get there, they will get absolutely paved over by whatever legitimate playoff team they run into. ND playoff history is even more embarrassing than ND’s bowl results since their last Natty in ’93. This year is equally if not more embarrassing, shutting down the whole thing in a whine-fest. I honestly don’t know what they play for over there. Anyway, as a team… Read more »
Yep!
I should add that, outside of Miami, in 2026 ND plays 11 teams that averaged 5 wins this year. Eight of the teams ND will play didn’t pass 5 wins this season or become bowl eligible. Navy is skewing the average with 10 wins, but it filled up on wins against competition along the lines of Florida Atlantic. I actually feel sorry for ND fans that this is what they are going to crowd into that stadium to see next year.
Here’s Kwiatkowski’s record based on how his defenses(as a DC) finished nationally in total defense. 2011 14th 2012….12th 2013….73rd 2014….59th 2015….28th 2016….11th 2017….9th 2018….10th 2019….33rd 2020….25th 2021….96th 2022….44th 2023….28th 2024….4th 2025….29th So in the last 14 years, he’s been 33rd or better 10 times. He’s been 44th or worst 4 times. That’s not bad at all. He’s been 14th or better 5 times.That isn’t bad. If we can find someone better, I’d say go for it. But if not, this guy has a really good record. Plus, he’s been a DC 23 years whereas Lynn has only been a DC 3… Read more »
K also develops linemen……and we need to develop folks unless we are going to compete with the folks like Oregon and O State for the huge dollar players.
Well, this is just tragic. I thought ND would have come to it’s senses. They need us more for their strength of schedule than we need them.
Well…..as much as I’d like to add to my pile of anti Riley posts…….I can’t. In the new world where USC has to play Penn State, Ohio State, Indiana, Oregon, Wisconsin, Rutgers, UCLA and another unnamed program in one year the OOC has to be a little softer. Three loss teams (unless you are in the crooked SEC) do not make the playoffs…..and that is a the first step goal. Winning the BIG means very little….it’s how you do in the playoffs. Plainly…..No playoff years for programs like USC are a failure. Some folks may disagree and claim a 9-3… Read more »
Does defense really win championships? For some reason, I like to think so.
We’re gonna find out whether that still holds true when the defensively terrific ‘Canes meet the high-scoring Buckeyes (35 PPG) in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 31, at 4:30 p.m. ET at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Like I said before…..11 of the last 25 NC’s have finished #1 in total defense. Seventeen of the last 25 NC’s have finished in the top 10 in total defense. 22 out of the last 25 NC’s have finished in the top 25 in total defense.
If not absolutely, then it is absolutely true that a lousy defense will lose championships.
See: Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma, USC
I draw the line at this move by SC’s Cohen and Riley. The biggest tradition has, the one that put both schools in prominence in college athletics, is now history. With NIL and free agency and soaring coaches salaries, college football is now in out rear view mirror. Enter now is another level of professional football, with little or no real ties to the institutions that sponsor it (see transfer), certainly no academic aspects for the majority of players, and, of course, dwindling support by student bodies and alumni (somewhat offset by “fans” who never attended a D1 university. At… Read more »
I think your take is completely wrong.The way the series is scheduled now greatly works to Notre Dame’s advantage.Especially with them not being in a conference. Do you think the Buckeyes would agree to play the Irish one week after they play Michigan? Do you Miami would play Notre Dame in October, during the middle of conference games? Would Texas agree to play Oklahoma and A&M back to back? None of these schools do, but because of tradition, you think SC should not makes waves and accept being screwed. Notre Dame was offered a contract to continue the series, with… Read more »
I do think Riley is a p**ssy and would love to have a Big 12 schedule again, but I think Cohen was right to stand her ground here. Miami will be ND’s one chance for a signature win. Their schedule beyond MIA will be a frigging joke. So in 2026, they could lose to Miami, run the table against the average and sub-average teams on their schedule and finish 11-1 and be in the top 12 because they are ND. Another playoff season for ND. This will tick off many in the CFB world. And the ACC is a basketball… Read more »
I do think the rivalry will occur from time to time, maybe eventually resume, but there are a lot of things that could change that would dictate it, like ND’s playoff guarantee, an expanded playoff field, etc.
ND is feeling the pressure of not belonging to a conference that has finally affected its once ability to play in a major bowl or BCS just because it was their name. I hope the ACC gets fed up with the Irish wanting its cake & eat it too just borrowing a conference name for their own benefit. I believe any other conference ND tries to use a conference will be told to get lost. The playoff, which ND agreed to, will penalize any program that doesn’t measure up to conference play.
ND’s schedule next year is pitiful. They play MIA and the 11 dwarves, 10 dwarves if you think BYU is worthy.
They will get into the playoffs with their 2026 special playoff arrangement in all likelihood.
Too bad our series with the Irish has been put on hiatus. But they backed USC into a corner and basically told USC to shove it. I don’t see how you can look at it any other way, but I need to read some ND takes on the matter.
According to a well placed source, the Irish said no to moving the game to September. So I blame them, despite their mantra of playing SC anywhere, anytime
I wish we could schedule the game as the third OOC game each season. I think the stubbornness of ND is awful: ND getting the secret guarantee starting next season that ND is in the playoffs. ND quitting on their bowl game because they got screwed out of the playoff. They did get screwed, but nobody thought that their quitting was a worthy response. Finally, cancelling the greatest intersectional rivalry in college football after nearly a century because of ND not wanting to play the game early in the season, is ridiculous. Strike three, yer out! ND is blowing a… Read more »
BYU is their last minute attempt to fill the schedule out. I believe it is the best they could get and likely sent feelers out to other power teams, who all said no. BYU is no power school and is a consolation prize at best, because they sure aren’t in the same league as USC. With their cream puff schedule next year and their “special inclusion clause”, how can they NOT be ranked in the top 12.
Hope you’re right.