The Notre Dame-USC rivalry, one of college football’s most storied and enduring matchups, is hitting pause - and not because either side wanted it that way, at least not publicly. After nearly eight decades of annual showdowns (with the lone exception being the pandemic-impacted 2020 season), the Fighting Irish and the Trojans won’t be facing off for the foreseeable future. And if you ask USC head coach Lincoln Riley, the blame falls squarely on Notre Dame’s shoulders.
Speaking at the Alamo Bowl press conference, Riley didn’t mince words. “Had Notre Dame lived up to their word and played us anytime, anywhere, we’d be playing them the next two years,” he said. That’s a bold accusation, especially when the rivalry has been a constant in the sport since 1946 - a tradition that’s seen Heismans won, national titles chased, and legends born on both sides.
According to reports, USC had been willing to meet Notre Dame halfway - even agreeing to move the 2026 game to November. But things shifted when USC learned of Notre Dame’s memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the College Football Playoff.
That MOU, which essentially guarantees a top-12 ranked Irish team a playoff spot, changed the calculus for the Trojans. A late-season loss to Notre Dame under the new playoff structure could be a knockout blow, so USC pushed for a Week Zero matchup - a move that would give them more breathing room in the postseason picture.
Notre Dame didn’t bite. Instead, they filled the 2026 and 2027 slots with a home-and-home series against BYU, leaving USC scrambling to find a new opponent for those years.
The two programs did issue a joint statement earlier this month, acknowledging the significance of their rivalry and committing to finding a path back to the gridiron together.
“USC and Notre Dame recognize how special our rivalry is to our fans, our teams, and college football,” the statement read. “Our institutions will continue working towards bringing back The Battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh. The rivalry between our two schools is one of the best in all of sport, and we look forward to meeting again in the future.”
But for now, the Jeweled Shillelagh - the trophy awarded to the winner of this historic clash - will stay in the trophy case, untouched.
The scheduling fallout has created a very different landscape for Notre Dame in 2026. Without USC on the calendar, the Irish will play one of the most favorable slates in the country.
They’ll only have three true road games - North Carolina, Syracuse, and Purdue - and a pair of neutral-site matchups against Wisconsin and Navy. Of those five, only Navy was bowl-eligible this past season, and Notre Dame has won eight straight against the Midshipmen, six of those by at least 20 points.
That’s not the kind of schedule that screams “battle-tested,” especially in an era where strength of schedule could be a key differentiator for playoff selection. Outside of BYU and Miami - the only two ranked teams on next year’s slate - the Irish won’t be facing many high-profile threats.
Before the season, Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua made it clear where the program stood on the rivalry. “I think Southern Cal and Notre Dame should play every year for as long as college football is played,” he said. “And SC knows that’s how we feel.”
The feeling may still be mutual, but logistics and postseason implications have gotten in the way. And while both sides say they’re committed to reviving the rivalry, there’s no timeline in place. For now, college football will be without one of its most iconic annual showdowns - a loss for fans, players, and the sport’s rich tradition.