Notre Dame and USC have put the brakes on any speculation about the future of their rivalry.
On Monday, the two programs announced on social media that the series is back on, with a four-game run set to begin in 2030. The teams will meet every year from 2030 through 2033, keeping one of college football’s most recognizable matchups alive.
The first and third games in the set - 2030 and 2032 - will be played at the L.A. Coliseum. The other two, in 2031 and 2033, will take place at Notre Dame.
“the rivalry, renewed. ⚔️
We will play Notre Dame in a four-game series beginning in the Coliseum in 2030. pic.twitter.com/4bj1jZW4NI
- USC Football ✌️ (@uscfb) August 3, 2026”
Notre Dame followed with its own post, calling it “Continuing the greatest intersectional rivalry in college football. #GoIrish ☘️ pic.twitter.com/RZe0K4fyHq
- Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) August 3, 2026”
The announcement comes after the 2024 season left fans unsure whether the annual meeting would continue. There had been no agreement on future games, and nothing suggested a deal was close until the news broke Monday.
This rivalry goes back to 1926, and the schools have played almost every season from 1926 through 2024. Notre Dame owns the all-time edge at 51-37-5 and has taken seven of the last eight meetings.
There’s a long way to go before the next game in 2030, and plenty in college football could look different by then. The source of the uncertainty is obvious: the landscape keeps shifting, and questions remain about where the SEC fits in the Power 4, as well as whether Marcus Freeman and Lincoln Riley will still be leading their programs when the rivalry resumes.
In Other News...
Notre Dame Just Changed How Indiana's Future Schedule Will Be Judged
Indianas future nonconference slate took another hit when its planned home-and-home series with Notre Dame for 2030-31 was canceled, removing one of the more recognizable games from the Hoosiers schedule. The change comes as Notre Dame moved to renew its rivalry with USC in a four-game series, keeping one of college footballs marquee matchups on the calendar and leaving Indiana to keep reshaping its own future dates.
For Indiana, the timing only sharpens the conversation around how its schedules will be judged going forward. The Hoosiers currently do not have any Power Four non-conference opponents lined up, a detail that has already drawn criticism about the strength of their future slates. Losing Notre Dame adds another layer to that scrutiny, especially with so much attention now on how programs position themselves for selection committees and public perception alike. [Read more 🡒]
Lincoln Riley Just Added Real Heat To Notre Dame-USC Again
Lincoln Riley has put fresh attention back on one of college footballs most stubborn rivalries by revisiting the Notre Dame-USC scheduling issue. The USC coach pointed to the reality of the Trojans conference calendar as part of the reason the matchup has landed where it has, while also taking aim at Notre Dames choices along the way. It is the kind of public back-and-forth that keeps a long-running series from going stale, even when the games themselves are still years away.
For Notre Dame, the timing matters because the rivalry is officially set to restart in 2030, with the games scheduled early in the season. That only raises the stakes around every comment and countercomment between the two sides, especially when the conversation shifts from tradition to logistics. Rileys latest remarks do not change the calendar, but they do remind both fan bases that the tension around this series is already back in full view. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Is Still Waiting On The Indiana Matchup Fans Wanted
Indiana footballs future non-conference slate has been drawing attention, and not in the way Notre Dame fans had hoped. Under Curt Cignetti, the Hoosiers have mapped out a schedule through 2029 that stays away from any Power Four opponent outside the Big Ten, a sharp turn from the kind of game that can make an autumn calendar feel a little bigger.
Indiana had previously had games with Virginia and Louisville on the books before moving on to lighter opponents, and Cignetti has described the approach as SEC-style in its emphasis on conference play. For Notre Dame, though, the matchup people keep circling is still a ways off, with the first series between the programs now slated for 2030-31. [Read more 🡒]