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, multiple time zone 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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