08/03/26 12:11:00
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08/03 12:09 CDT Notre Dame and USC agree to resume football rivalry with a
4-game series starting in 2030
Notre Dame and USC agree to resume football rivalry with a 4-game series
starting in 2030
By ERIC OLSON
AP College Football Writer
The Notre Dame-Southern California college football rivalry will start again in
2030.
The schools announced Monday they have agreed to a four-game home-and-home
series. Notre Dame will play in Los Angeles on Aug. 31, 2030, and the Trojans
will visit South Bend, Indiana, on Aug. 30, 2031. The meetings in 2032 and 2033
will be played in the first three weeks of the season.
The teams met each non-pandemic season from 1946-2025, typically in October or
November, in what became known as "the greatest intersectional rivalry in
college football." The exception was the 2020 season when most schools played a
conference-only schedule.
Negotiations for the continuation of the series became challenging after USC
joined the Big Ten in 2024. The Trojans expressed that they did not want to
play nonconference games after September. Notre Dame beat the Trojans 34-24 in
South Bend last Oct. 18, and the series officially went on hiatus in December
when the Irish announced they had filled the last open spot on their 2026
schedule with a game at BYU.
Notre Dame and USC first played in 1926 and the Irish lead the series 53-38-5.
The series also was put on hold from 1943-45, during World War II.
The two schools have combined to win 22 national championships and produce 15
Heisman Trophy winners, and the discontinuation prompted consternation on both
sides. Navy is the only team Notre Dame has played more than USC, at 98
meetings.
Notre Dame and USC play for the Jeweled Shillelagh Trophy, a tradition which
began in 1952. The Jeweled Shillelagh Trophy is presented by the Notre Dame
Club of Los Angeles. Notre Dame victories are marked by green-jeweled shamrocks
while USC victories are marked by ruby-jeweled Trojan heads.
"USC's historic rivalry with Notre Dame holds a special place in the history of
college football, and we are happy to resume a series that means so much to the
entire Trojan Family," USC athletic director Jen Cohen said. "It remains
important for us to play this game early in the season, as it allows us to
schedule competitively with our Big Ten peers and takes into account the health
and best interests of our student-athletes and program. We are excited for our
fans, and we look forward to more memorable matchups and unforgettable games
between the Trojans and the Irish."
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