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Tradition Broken: USC and Notre Dame to End Football Series
29 Jul
Summary
- The historic USC-Notre Dame football rivalry is ending after 78 consecutive seasons.
- USC offered to adjust its 2026 schedule to continue the series.
- Notre Dame has agreed to a two-year deal with BYU for 2026-2027.
The long-standing football rivalry between USC and Notre Dame will be paused, ending a streak of 78 consecutive seasons played, excluding the 2020 pandemic-affected year. USC head coach Lincoln Riley has publicly voiced his disappointment, attributing the hiatus to Notre Dame's decision. Riley indicated that USC had proposed moving the 2026 game to an earlier date in the season to accommodate Notre Dame's schedule, a proposal that was ultimately rejected.
Following the rejection of USC's offer, Notre Dame quickly announced a two-year agreement with BYU for home-and-home games in 2026 and 2027. This scheduling move has been met with criticism from Riley, who suggested the rapid finalization of the BYU series occurred shortly after USC's proposal was turned down. Both universities have reportedly agreed to explore options for resuming their historic series as early as 2030, following discussions that began in 1926.
