USC football gets Notre Dame on Oct. 18, which could become the last time both the Trojans and Fighting Irish face one another. Head coach Lincoln Riley faced that possibility as one of the topics during Big Ten media days Thursday.

He decided to drop a truth bomb on the rivalry, which he shared via Brett McMurphy of On3/Rivals in Las Vegas.

“My very first thought (when hired as offensive coordinator at Oklahoma) was I get to coach OU-Texas. When I decided to take USC job, my first thought was I get to coach USC-Notre Dame,” Riley began. “Do I want to play the game? Hell, yeah. I'm hopeful we can get to the point where it makes sense. The two schools are in radical different situations, one in a conference.”

USC joining the Big Ten ultimately complicated things on the nonconference side, including annually scheduling the Fighting Irish. The Trojans now must play nine conference games, which again jeopardizes USC continuing the historic rivalry.

Riley is facing other challenges. Analysts have placed the USC head coach on the hot seat following two underachieving seasons. The now fourth-year USC head coach is easing tensions by helping construct the nation's top-ranked recruiting class for 2026.

Riley wasn't through with declaring his reasons for wanting to continue the ND series.

USC's Lincoln Riley calls for model that helps Notre Dame game

Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley leaves the field after the game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

ESPN senior college football writer Heather Dinich mentioned what Riley hopes to see moving forward, especially in helping USC versus Notre Dame.

“Lincoln Riley said there are ‘a million reasons why we should adopt the automatic qualifier' model, and he cited the continuation of the rivalry with Notre Dame as a reason why,” Dinich posted on X, formerly Twitter. “He spoke passionately about the meaning of the rivalry but also said it’s tied into the CFP decision.”

The two powers have met since 1926. Notre Dame holds the lead in the series with a 52-37-5 mark. The Irish have claimed the last two wins as well — including the 49-35 shootout victory in the L.A. Memorial Coliseum in 2024.

The 2025 matchup becomes the 95th meeting between both. Again, it could become the last given the new nine-team Big Ten schedule.

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