The rivalry between Notre Dame and USC won’t be played in 2026. With the exception of COVID-19, it’s the first time the series isn’t being played since World War II.
There was no shortage of finger-pointing from both fan bases and no shortage of blame for both sides. In all of it, one thing was pretty clear, though, both Notre Dame and USC seem to want to play each other; they just couldn’t agree on when or where.
It hasn’t even been a season without the rivalry, and already there have been reports that the two sides are discussing bringing the game back. Now, Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua has confirmed that the two sides are in discussions.
“Do we want to play USC in the future? 100 percent, yeah,” Bevacqua said, according to The Athletic’s Pete Sampson. “We think that’s great for Notre Dame. We think it’s great for USC, we think it is great for college football. And at this point, that’s really all I can say about that.”
The series had broken up for a few reasons. However, to break it down simply, USC did not like the game taking place in the middle of conference play and wanted it moved to the beginning of the season. Notre Dame disagreed, needing a marquee game later in the year. They seemed to be getting close to a deal, but then it was widely reported that Notre Dame is guaranteed a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff if it finishes in the top 12 of the final rankings.
