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The best thing about college football is the historic rivalries and associated traditions, like the trophies. One of the oldest and most unique rivalries in college football, Notre Dame-USC, is on the brink of potentially ending.
The 2025 game is the last game on either team's schedule as part of their current deal, but there is hope that a new agreement can be reached between the two blue bloods. The Battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh's longevity and the origin of the rivalry make college football so fun.
Notre Dame's athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, has already indicated that the Fighting Irish seek a long-term extension to the rivalry, as he explained to Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated.
“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,” Bevacqua said.
Notre Dame and USC have met 95 times since 1924, playing every year but three during World War II and 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. This season's game on Oct. 18 in South Bend is the last of the current contract. According to USC associate athletic director Cody Worsham in an interview with Sports Illustrated, USC offered Notre Dame a one-year extension for this series to play in Los Angeles in 2026, but Notre Dame is seeking something more long-term between the two rivals.
“We want the USC–Notre Dame rivalry to continue, which is why we offered an extension of our agreement,” Worsham told Sports Illustrated. “It's a special game to our fans and our institution. We will continue to work with Notre Dame on scheduling future games.”
USC's concerns about a long-term deal are due to the ever-changing College Football Playoff format. Since becoming a member of the Big Ten, they have been forced to travel more than they had in the Pac-12, so adding another game in the Midwest doesn't help on that front, especially for the coaches and the athletes.
These two programs combine for the most national titles in an annual series. Since the AP Poll started in 1936, Notre Dame has had nine national titles, and USC has had seven.
Lincoln Riley and Marcus Freeman make for a great set of young coaches who can grow with this rivalry. Freeman leads the series between the two, 2-1.
The rivalry is also alive and well off the field after USC hired Chad Bowden away from the Fighting Irish as their new general manager.
This rivalry is a staple of college football, and hopefully, the two sides can reach an agreement that makes sense for both.
