USC-Notre Dame football rivalry halted as negotiations collapse

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It happened … or rather, it won't happen. USC football's epic and historic rivalry with Notre Dame will not happen in 2026 or anytime before 2030, per Ross Dellenger of Yahoo! Sports. Talks reportedly broke down between the two sides. Notre Dame announced on Monday that it had finalized a two-year scheduling agreement with BYU, presumably to replace USC.

Where do we begin? We have to start somewhere. The word "start" is ironic and painful, since the end of this annual arrangement is an emotionally impactful story for a lot of people on both sides of this rivalry.

Notre Dame is a bunch of cowards

Marcus Freeman said Notre Dame will play anyone, anywhere, anytime earlier this year. Obviously he was full of it. To talk a big, tough game but then not back it up in action is the coward's way. If you're not sure your university will follow through on a commitment, you don't say things like that. Was this ultimately Freeman's decision? No. However, as a representative of a university and one of its most prominent public figures, Freeman has to know that if he says something like that, his school — not just he himself — will be held accountable based on those comments. Notre Dame knew Marcus Freeman said what he said and wouldn't back up its coach. Cowardice, plain and simple.

USC is also a coward

Look, we get it: The game needed to be moved up to September from USC's vantage point, given the grind of the Big Ten schedule. However, if forced to choose between moving up the game on the calendar and not playing it at all, USC should have sucked it up anyway. The motto of the school is "Fight On!," for crying out loud! An imperfect arrangement is better than none.

Both schools share this failure

Notre Dame talked tough but then bailed when it mattered. USC felt insecure enough about its Big Ten situation to push a deal the Irish didn't want. Both sides look bad, and fans of both schools need to be mature enough to admit it, rather than pointing the finger only at the other side.

Previous disruptions of the USC football series vs Notre Dame

The only previous times USC-Notre Dame didn't get played: World War II and the COVID-19 pandemic before vaccines arrived. Yeah, those are pretty legitimate reasons. This? This is human beings acting like three-year-olds … and that might be an insult to three-year-olds.

2026 becomes a dark year

2026 was going to mark the 100th anniversary of the USC-Notre Dame series. Anything reaching 100 years of existence is special. A human being's 100th birthday (Dick Van Dyke), a rivalry turning 100, a country turning 100, a business turning 100. That's special. USC and Notre Dame could have thrown a huge 100th anniversary celebration. Instead, they chose to stop the series. It's really beyond words at this point.

Is nothing sacred anymore?

We know schools need to make a dollar and deal with long-distance travel in a new era of superconferences in college football. Still: USC and Notre Dame had — past tense — something really unique in college football. Instead of treasuring that, the schools threw it away. It will never be the same. Executives casting aside tradition for quick convenience is exactly why so much of modern life has become soulless and devoid of humanity. It's not war or poverty or a life-and-death matter, but on its own small level, it's crushing for the people who care about this rivalry and college football tradition.

Notre Dame playoff snub

Notre Dame threw an absolute tantrum after its CFP snub. The unwillingness to accept an imperfect deal with USC is an absolutely horrible look for the university. Life isn't fair. The most famous Catholic school in the country should know the value and meaning of the expression "Offer it up!" Clearly it doesn't. This is not the sacrificial servant leadership one ought to expect from a Catholic institution.

Lincoln Riley's reputation as a soft coach grows

Lincoln Riley bailed out of an Ole Miss game. Now this. Riley would earn so much more respect if his teams were tough and elite, but they aren't. If USC was winning championships or at least making playoff semifinals, it would own higher ground in this mess, but the Trojans have been a failure the past three seasons. (2022 was a good year and generally a success.) Lincoln Riley could have stood up for this rivalry. He didn't.

Moment of truth

Lincoln Riley doesn't want to play Notre Dame unless under perfect circumstances. Okay, then. If Riley is this worried about the schedule and logistics of USC football, he better win big in 2026. If he doesn't, he should be fired. Nothing less than 10-2 is acceptable with Notre Dame now off the schedule.

Rose Bowl

If you have wondered why the Rose Bowl insists on playing on January 1 in the afternoon, and has been steadfast in preserving its place among the college football bowl games — refusing to move off January 1 — maybe now we can all appreciate this more. The Rose Bowl values tradition. It actually cares about the idea of preserving timeless annual rituals and making them a part of life for each generation, young and old. There's something noble and substantive in this … something USC and Notre Dame completely failed to appreciate.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC football rivalry vs Notre Dame won't be played from 2026-2029

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