One of the longest and most storied rivalries in college football will go on indefinite hiatus starting in 2026.
After months of negotiations And public posing, USC and Notre Dame were unable to reach an agreement to continue the rivalry series.
“USC and Notre Dame recognize how special our rivalry is to our fans, our teams and college football, and our institutions will continue to work toward the return of the 'Battle for the Precious Shillelagh,'” the schools said in a joint statement Monday. “The rivalry between our two schools is one of the best in all of sports and we look forward to meeting again in the future.”
Discussions between the rivals broke down in recent weeks shortly after the College Football Playoff field was announced, a person familiar with the talks who was not authorized to speak publicly told The Times.
-
Share via
Ryan Cartier explains why USC and Notre Dame couldn't agree on a schedule, putting their historic college football rivalry on hold.
After Notre Dame was dropped from the 12-team field, Yahoo reported that College Football Playoff officials reached an agreement with the school in March 2024 that guaranteed the Irish a playoff berth if they finished in the top 12 at the end of the season starting in 2026. That agreement, if applied this year, would have placed Notre Dame on the field above Miami, which defeated the Irish to open the season.
The two schools nearly announced a continuation of the series around the time of the October matchup in South Bend, Indiana. A person familiar with the negotiations told The Times that USC was willing to compromise and stick to its normal rivalry rhythm for the next two seasons, with Notre Dame coming to the Coliseum in 2026.
But USC officials didn't know at the time that Notre Dame had reached an agreement with CFP officials that guaranteed the Irish a playoff berth if they finished in the top 12 of the final rankings starting in 2026, this person said. To USC officials, the agreement seemed like a “material advantage” for the Irish, whose position as an independent organization and scheduling flexibility already gave them a significant advantage in making the playoffs over other conference-bound programs like USC.
USC also had concerns that the CFP selection committee would hit schools hard for losing games late in the season. However, early-season rivalry losses have not typically been a deal-breaker for playoff teams.
Upon learning of the agreement, the man said: USC Athletic Director Jennifer Cohen reversed course on the compromise plans, instead telling Notre Dame the game would have to be played in Week 0 — or not played at all.
This ultimatum was presented last week. Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua called Cohen Monday morning and declined the offer.
Notre Dame officials have said the rivals could play again in 2030, a person familiar with the discussions told The Times, although USC has told Notre Dame it could play as early as 2028, when the game is scheduled to return to the Coliseum.
A postponement until 2030 would mean five seasons without the century-old match, which was previously only suspended due to World War II and the pandemic. Besides the 2020 season, the schools have played 78 consecutive seasons, with the last meeting taking place in October. Notre Dame defeated USC 34-24..
USC hopes the match will resume in the future, perhaps as early as 2030. But the school is now turning its attention to finding a new non-conference opponent to fill its 2026 schedule.
USC football coach Lincoln Riley (left) and athletic director Jennifer Cohen.
(Gina Ferazzi, Myung J. Chung/Los Angeles Times)
USC intends to find an opponent to come to the Coliseum in Week 0 to take advantage of the extra bye week in the midst of what should be one of the toughest schedules in college football in 2026.
Ideally, he would like to find a fellow former Pac-12 school, such as Stanford or Cal, to fill that non-conference spot in the future, a person familiar with the discussions told The Times. But it's unlikely that either will have the flexibility to do so next season.
Instead, if USC hopes to play in Week 0, it will likely have to schedule a team to play in Hawaii or overseas, allowing the Trojans to schedule an extra game. Any team playing in Hawaii or overseas is allowed to play a 13th game to offset the travel burden and give it an additional chance to qualify for the bowl.
Notre Dame, meanwhile, moved quickly Monday morning, announcing that Brigham Young had signed a multi-year deal to take over USC's position.
USC and Notre Dame play at Notre Dame Stadium on November 21, 1931. USC won 16–14.
(Associated Press)
The idea of a rivalry so deep in history coming to an end because of planning timing did not sit well with everyone, including those with deep ties to the Trojans.
'I can't believe what I just heard,' former Trojans standout receiver Keyshawn Johnson said in videos on social networks. “I don't know what's going on with our athletic department. We have people there who are not Trojans, who don't know anything about what the Trojans are, running our athletic department. We have a head coach who doesn't know anything about what the Trojans are.”
For months, it seemed like the schools were on the verge of an agreement. Just 10 days ago, on Notre Dame's “The Echoes” podcast, Bevacqua said he was “hopeful” the sides were close.
“I can certainly speak for Notre Dame, and I can speak, confidently, for USC. Both schools want to see this continue,” Bevacqua said. “They obviously need to be aware of our schedule. We need to be aware of their schedule. We both need to be aware of the new reality in college football. But I've had great conversations with Jen Cohen and we're both committed and both Notre Dame and USC are committed to doing something.”
Cohen expressed similar optimism in August after USC sent Notre Dame a revised offer that took into account its rival's desire for a multi-year deal. The Trojans had previously been reluctant to agree to a long-term extension given the uncertainty surrounding the future format of the College Football Playoff.
“We're trying to extend the series,” Cohen said at the time. “This is an important series for us, for our fans and for our program, and hopefully we will come to a decision that is supportive and in the best interests of our program.”
The rivalry is traditionally held in the midseason when it hosts Notre Dame and the regular season finale when it is played at the Coliseum. But given the new demands of the Big Ten travel schedule, USC pushed to move the game to early in the season.
In her recent State of Troy address, Cohen noted, without mentioning Notre Dame by name, that USC wanted to “play our non-conference opponents in the Coliseum as early as possible every year.”
“USC is the only team in the Big Ten to play a non-conference road game after Week 4 in either of the last two seasons,” she wrote. “USC is also the only team to play a non-conference game after Week 4 in both seasons.”
USC tight end Lake Macri makes a touchdown catch over Notre Dame quarterback Adon Shuler during the Trojans' loss on Oct. 18.
(Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
But since concerns about the rivalry's future were first raised by the Trojans coach in 2024, Lincoln RileyUSC found itself in a difficult position from a public relations standpoint. At the time, Riley suggested that he would support giving up the rivalry with Notre Dame if it meant USC would be in a better position to win the national championship.
“Our schedules are already going to be so good,” Riley said at the time. “At some point you think, okay, is it worth the juice playing these games?”
As recently as last month, USC officials decided yes. But with news that Notre Dame had reached an agreement with the CFP selection committee, the calculus changed.
And now, with the two rivals pressing hard, one of college football's most storied rivalries is on hold with no immediate return in sight.
