In the many chapters of the Notre Dame-USC rivalry, there have been very few in which the rivalry itself was in doubt.
Enter 2025, the 96th all-time meeting between the Irish and the Trojans, and the last game scheduled between the two teams — at least, so far. This year’s edition of the series brings the typical color and pageantry, but also College Football Playoff implications. And it’s all shrouded in uncertainty about what happens next for the two forever rivals.
“I know our leadership, administration and their leadership, administration are talking to try to find a way to extend this rivalry and so, I’m confident it will be extended,” Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said this week. “But I don’t have any proof that it’s being extended right now.”
Rumors have swirled over the future of the rivalry for the last two years, and both Freeman and USC head coach Lincoln Riley seem in agreement that they want the game to continue. Speaking at B1G media days in the spring, Riley said “I want to play the game. Absolutely. It’s one of the reasons I came here.”
Freeman reiterated the value that the rivalry has for the sport of college football itself.
“I think it’s great for college football,” Freeman said. “I think the rivalry between Notre Dame and USC is a great rivalry, one of the best, and I think it’s great for college football and the two institutions to continue this rivalry.”
And what exactly is it that makes Notre Dame-USC so great for college football?
“It’s something that you’re going to mark on your calendar each year,” Notre Dame captain Drayk Bowen offered this week. “This is when we play USC. You know the date, you know the game.”
USC vs Notre Dame football rivalry: History, head-to-head record, notable games
Indeed, the game has long been one that football fans can practically set their watch to. Since the first meeting in 1926, the teams have faced off in all but four seasons. Games were cancelled between 1943 and 1945 due to World War IIand the COVID-19 pandemic stopped play in 2020. The Jeweled Shillelagh trophy was introduced in 1952, and has been awarded to the winner of the game ever since.
Despite 2,000 miles separating the two schools and significant change in the landscape of college sports, the rivalry has proved to possess remarkable longevity.
But longevity alone doesn’t make for a rivalry.
Bowen — who has grown as a leader for Notre Dame’s defense over the last several weeks, accruing the most tackles on the team — understands that rivalry means something deeper, too.
“It’s going to be emotional, more than just through the game but throughout the week,” Bowen said. “Getting ready for USC, it’s always a big game, you’re always excited for it.”
With all the history surrounding the matchup, there’s bound to be some contentious emotions.
“I know there’s been some bad blood between the two teams,” sophomore receiver KK Smith said this week. Smith broke out with the biggest game of his career last Saturday against NC State, tallying three catches for 59 yards and a touchdown. “I’m just ready to go out there and play. It’s as simple as that.”
Now, there’s nothing to suggest any particular bad blood between this year’s editions of the Trojans and the Irish. But that doesn’t mean the legacy of mutual dislike won’t hang in the air on Saturday, especially considering most fans in attendance will remember this year as the 20th anniversary of ‘the Bush Push’. Notre Dame fans still aren’t over that, just like Trojan fans can’t stand Notre Dame’s run of nine victories in the last 12 meetings.
Perhaps beyond all that, beyond the longevity and animosity that have historically characterized this rivalry, there is a third, prevailing quality: high stakes.
Of the teams’ 95 all-time meetings, 73 have featured at least one team ranked in the AP Top 25. This year’s game will make for the 35th ranked-on-ranked matchup between the Trojans and Irish. The margin in these games is typically razor thin, with Notre Dame holding an 18-14-2 record with both teams ranked.
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These high stakes games have long held national championship implications. As recently as last season, Notre Dame needed to beat USC on the road in order to secure a College Football Playoff berth that eventually led to a national championship game appearance. Long before that, though, USC rode high-profile defeats over Notre Dame to national championships in 1974 and 1978, while the No. 1 Irish beat No. 2 USC en route to their most recent national championship in 1988.
When it comes to playoff implications, this year’s game is the perfect embodiment of what this rivalry means to college football. It shares the high stakes opportunity that has characterized the series’ long history, that particular sort of mid-season theatre that only college football can offer.
“It means a great opportunity,” Irish offensive lineman Billy Schrauth said, summing it up.
For Notre Dame, that opportunity can be understood in a word: playoff. With the Trojans as the lone high-profile opponent remaining on their schedule, Notre Dame can put themselves closer to a second-consecutive College Football Playoff berth with a win. Losses to No. 3 Miami and No. 5 Texas A&M by a combined four points aren’t likely to hold a 10-2 Irish out of the postseason. But they’ll need at least one ranked win, and this game may be their final opportunity to take one.
USC, on the other hand, has a prove-it game on their hands. After trouncing No. 15 Michigan at home, the Trojans are back in the Top 25—and back in the midwest, where they’ve struggled to win road football games. The Trojans have lost their last seven road games against ranked teams in the midwest, including this year’s loss to Illinois. The Trojans have not won a game at Notre Dame Stadium since 2011, a string of six straight Irish victories.
It’s not hard to find stakes for either side. Saturday, effectively, will be a playoff game at Notre Dame Stadium.
With an uncertain future, the current stakes are befitting the long history.
At least for now, there’s more to be written between USC and Notre Dame. The next chapter kicks off Saturday at 7pm on NBC and Peacock.
About the Author
Ryan Murphy is a senior at the University of Notre Dame majoring in American Studies. Ryan currently serves as the Director of Operations at Notre Dame Television, Sports Co-Director at WVFI Sports Radio, and a beat reporter at The Observer. Originally from Concord, New Hampshire, Ryan lives on-campus as a proud resident of Coyle Hall.
