12/22/25 04:16:00
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12/22 16:14 CST Notre Dame and USC pause their longstanding rivalry, Fighting
Irish add BYU to 2026 schedule
Notre Dame and USC pause their longstanding rivalry, Fighting Irish add BYU to
2026 schedule
By MICHAEL MAROT
AP Sports Writer
Notre Dame vs. Southern California, one of college football's biggest and
longest rivalries, is on pause.
The Fighting Irish announced Monday they had filled their last 2026 open date
with a trip to BYU as part of a home-and-home series. The two teams left out of
this year's College Football Playoff also will play in 2027, but Notre Dame
only has nine games listed on that schedule, raising the possibility of
bringing back the USC game.
While there is a chance Notre Dame or USC could buy out a game to keep the
series active, it seems unlikely after Monday's announcement.
"USC and Notre Dame recognize how special our rivalry is to our fans, our teams
and college football and our institutions will continue working to bring back
the Battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh," Notre Dame and USC officials said in a
joint statement. "The rivalry between our two schools is one of the best in all
of sport and we look forward to meeting in the future."
Notre Dame and USC first played in 1926 and the Irish lead the series between
the two traditional powers 53-38-5.
The series also was put on hold from 1943-45, during World War II. They also
did not play in 2020 when the pandemic prompted most schools to play a
conference-only schedule. Representatives from both schools, including Irish
coach Marcus Freeman, have repeatedly said they want the rivalry to continue.
"It's very clear, let's continue this thing and that's it," Freeman said in
mid-October in the lead up to the game. "They handle the rest of it. (Athletic
director) Pete Bevacqua and (deputy athletic director for football) Ron Powlus
and our leadership, they'll handle the discussions with them. But they know the
head coach of this football program desires to continue this rivalry."
It's not the first time Notre Dame has put a big rivalry on hold.
The Irish used to face Michigan and Michigan State almost annually starting in
the 1970s. But they haven't played the Wolverines since 2008 and haven't played
the Spartans since 2017.
Notre Dame also played Purdue every season from 1946-2014. They squared off
again in 2021 and have played each of the past two years, too.
Negotiations became more challenging when USC joined the Big Ten last season
because the Trojans would prefer to play non-conference games in August or
September. The two schools that have combined to win 22 national championships
and produced 15 Heisman Trophy winners have traditionally met in October or
November.
Next year, to the dismay of many, though, they're unlikely to play at all.
"I have no space to think of why somebody would want to do that," Las Vegas
Raiders coach and former USC coach Pete Carroll said Monday. "I hope that
doesn't carry over to other matchups that have been so important to people over
the years and so much fun, not so much the teams. It's for the fans and for the
alumni. That's too bad. I'm disappointed to hear that."
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AP Sports Writer Mark Anderson contributed.
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