USC head coach Lincoln Riley is striking back at critics upset that the classic rivalry between his Trojans and Notre Dame will be skipped this year due to scheduling conflicts.
The issue is that of competing interests. USC wanted to play Notre Dame early in the season because a late-season loss to the Irish could be more damaging to their record and standing. On the other side, Notre Dame wanted to play the Trojans later in the season, likely hoping to pad their late-season win count. In the end, the two teams could not reach an agreement, so this season they won’t play each other.
Notre Dame fans have taken the impasse as an excuse to bash USC as cowards for not scheduling a late-season game with the Fighting Irish. But USC’s Riley begs to differ.
“It’s pretty simple,” Riley said, according to Newsweek. “We both worked for months to try and find a solution. Notre Dame was very vocal about the fact they would play us anytime, anywhere. Obviously, them not having a conference affiliation gives them an ability to be pretty flexible with their scheduling.”
He went on, saying, “Jenn Cohen, our AD, went back to Notre Dame roughly a couple of weeks ago with a scenario and a proposal that would extend the series for the next two years. We took Notre Dame at their word that they would play us any time, anywhere. That proposal was rejected.”
Riley noted that it didn’t seem all that heartbreaking to Notre Dame, as they quickly scheduled a game with BYU to replace a match against the Trojans.
“We’re hopeful something can be worked out in the future,” Riley concluded. “That would be fantastic. We at SC would love for the game to continue, and we have no problem following through on our promises in the future.”
It remains to be seen whether this same impasse will continue to affect the schedule.
The Trojans did beat Notre Dame in 2022, but have lost seven of the last eight games in the rivalry.
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