For only the second time in nearly 100 years, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and USC Trojans will not play next year, according to Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger.
After months of negotiations and despite words of optimism from Notre Dame Athletic Director Pete Bevacqua, the two schools failed to agree on a new deal, and one of college football’s oldest and most heated rivalries will, at least temporarily, come to a halt.
Notre Dame has already landed a replacement opponent in BYU. Something of an irony considering it was the Cougars whom Notre Dame would have faced in this year’s Pop-Tarts Bowl. But the Irish declined the matchup after dozens of players reported they would opt out of the game following their snub from the College Football Playoff (CFP) Selection Committee.
The opinions of the CFP Selection Committee reportedly weighed heavily on administrators at USC, who, according to Dellenger, felt that the late-season matchup against their hated rival would hurt their pursuit of a national championship.
“USC officials determined that the game date was not ideal, considering past decisions from the CFP selection committee in punishing schools for losses, especially those late in the season.”
According to Dellenger, “The latest round of discussions among administrators at each school fizzled over the last two weeks — a stunning about-face. In fact, the two programs were on the verge of finalizing a two-year extension of their agreement in late November, with USC agreeing to host Notre Dame next season on the traditional date after Thanksgiving and the Irish hosting in 2027.
Dellenger further reported, “The latest discussions between Trojans athletic director Jen Cohen and ND athletic director Pete Bevacqua centered around a possible game next year on Week Zero, though that did not materialize. The two administrators have agreed to work to restart the series as soon as 2030, those with knowledge of their talks told Yahoo Sports.”
USC and Notre Dame released a joint statement announcing their determination to renew the series at a later date.
The rivalry between the Irish and the Trojans dates back to 1926. Before this year’s stoppage, the only breaks in the series came in during World War II, when the game wasn’t played for three years, and again in 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic.
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