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USC Trojans Head football coach Lincoln Riley points the finger at South Bend, Indiana.
USC-Notre Dame The football rivalry is one of the best in the sport, but it has come to an end as both programs were unable to reach an agreement to continue playing each other through the 2026-27 season.
Riley appeared before the media before his Trojans faced TCU in the Valero Alamo Bowl, where he didn't mind taking shots at the Fighting Irish.
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USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches the game against the UCLA Bruins at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 29, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Harry Howe/Getty Images)
“It's quite simple. We both worked for months trying to find a solution,” Riley explained. New York Post. “Notre Dame has been very vocal about the fact that they will play us anytime, anywhere. Obviously, not having to attend the conference gives them some flexibility in their schedule.
“We're back, Jen Cohen, our publicity director, came back to Notre Dame about a couple of weeks ago with a script and a proposal that would take the show for the next two years. This proposal was rejected.”
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However, Riley wasn't done yet. He didn't like how Notre Dame quickly found a new opponent after being rejected.
“Not only was the offer rejected, five minutes after we got the call it was announced that they had nominated another opponent and I give them credit. This could be the fastest planning in the history of college football,” he said.
Notre Dame went instead of USC was BYU, agreeing to a home series instead of going with their regular scheduled opponent.
Meanwhile, USC is still trying to figure out who will fill their schedule.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman reacts after an Irish touchdown against the Pittsburgh Panthers in the second quarter at Acresure Stadium on November 15, 2025. (Charles LeClair/Imagn Images)
Since 1926, the Trojans and Fighting Irish have battled it out on the field, playing 96 times and losing only four games in that time.
And those missed games? Three in the 1943–45 season due to World War II and one in the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We took Notre Dame at their word that they would play us anytime, anywhere,” Riley added. “If Notre Dame had kept their word and played us anytime, anywhere, we would have played for the next two years and after that we would have looked forward and hopefully continued the streak.”
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Instead, the combined record of the two storied programs will remain 51-37-5 in favor of the Fighting Irish.
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