No one at USC should be able to put an end to the football rivalry between Notre Dame and USC, which should be played annually. Josh Pate of CBS Sports made the claim this week.
The annual rivalry game between the two illustrious teams is reportedly in danger of ending, according to reports that surfaced earlier this week. The present contract between the two institutions ends after this season’s match. According to a Sports Illustrated article, USC has only proposed a one-year extension for the rivalry series, while Notre Dame sought a longer one. The athletic director of Notre Dame told SI that the Fighting Irish think USC and Notre Dame need to play one other annually. Since assuming the position in 2022, USC head coach Lincoln Riley has frequently expressed uncertainty about the series’ future.
Riley recently stated on the Always College Football podcast that “we’ve all just got to accept some changes, because it’s just part of it right now.”
It’s thought that the Trojans don’t want to commit to what would be a 10th power conference matchup now that USC is joining the Big Ten. Raw wins still have a lot of weight, as evidenced by last year’s College Football Playoff, which included Indiana and excluded a 9-win Alabama team.
However, Pate saw that USC mindset as pitiful.
Lincoln Riley is correct. I’m not even here to disparage him or USC because of this. It’s a pitiful mindset, no doubt, but—you know what? Pate said that he shouldn’t even have a cause for it. “He shouldn’t be given the option. It shouldn’t be an option for the AD at USC. The choice shouldn’t belong to the USC president. The choice shouldn’t belong to the mayor of Los Angeles. They come and go.
Since 1924, these colleges have played this game 95 times despite having hundreds of head coaches and sports directors. Are you curious as to why this game has been discontinued since 1924? We had the annoying, brief World War II, followed by COVID in 2020. That’s all. Is that even possible? Pandemic and war both end games, and worrying that we might not qualify for the playoffs because we’re 9-3 rather than 10-2 ends games. The two of things are not the same. Horrible.
Pate continued by saying that anyone who accepts the AD or head coaching positions at the two institutions should do so with the knowledge that the game is untouchable.
“You know what, if you don’t like that? Pate responded, “You don’t have to accept the position.
Additionally, Pate questioned the trend of big college football, which encourages elite schools to stay away from important games. Nonconference schedules are being reassessed in light of conferences being increasingly bloated. AD Greg Byrne stated that Alabama will review its upcoming nonconference scheduling after the program missed the CFP the previous season.
Last fall, USC opened the season against LSU. The Trojans prevailed in a thrilling 27–20 victory at Allegiant Stadium in the Vegas Kickoff Classic.
This season, Missouri State, Georgia Southern, and Notre Dame are on the Trojans’ nonconference schedule. However, if Riley loses 4-5 in Big Ten play again, none of those games will matter.
In 2022, Riley defeated Notre Dame in his debut game. Since then, USC has suffered double-digit losses in both of its encounters with the Irish. The game this year will take place on October 18 in South Bend.
