Notre Dame's CFP deal reportedly played role in USC suspending rivalry

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On Monday, Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports reported that USC and Notre Dame failed to reach an agreement to extend their storied rivalry. After facing off nearly every year for practically a century, the Trojans and Fighting Irish will not meet in 2026, or reportedly for at least the next four seasons.

As I wrote, the College Football Playoff played a key role in the two schools deciding not to extend the rivalry, with both parties determined to maximize their playoff chances even if it meant ending the storied series. However, it appears as though the playoff impacted the decision in more than one.

According to a report from Ryan Kartje of The Los Angeles Times, USC was apparently set to agree to a compromise with Notre Dame and play the 2026 game in November. However, that changed when the Trojans learned of Notre Dame’s arrangement with the College Football Playoff committee, that, starting next season, guarantees the Irish a spot in the field if they are ranked in the top 12 of the final CFP rankings—a guarantee that no other school in the country has.

Here at Trojans Wire, we have not exactly been rushing to USC’s defense over how the Trojans have handled the Notre Dame situation. That being said, however, USC is absolutely right to call Notre Dame out on this. The fact that one school is afforded a special privilege that no other FBS program gets is absurd, and it is embarrassing that anyone ever agreed to that in the first place.

Does this justify ending the rivalry? Not at all. The two schools still should have been able to figure something out. But Kartje’s report is a reminder of the numerous factors that have led to this point—and the fact that Notre Dame deserves plenty of blame in this ordeal, too.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC football will not play Notre Dame due to Irish playoff deal

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