Notre Dame has found itself in yet another drama this year, as if a playoff snub wasn’t enough. Thlimbostoric rivalry series with USC is officially shelved for the near future, after months of remaining in limbo. However, the reasoning that the Trojans provided for not agreeing sounds very fishy.

The Notre Dame-USC rivalry completed a century in 2025. In these 100 years, the rivalry has only been interrupted twice – by WW2 and COVID. While those are genuine grounds for cancellation, USC pulled out of renewing the contract for 2026 onwards for suspicious reasons. USC, “learned” of CFP’s ‘new’ deal with Notre Dame and then decided to cancel the series, per LA Times’ Ryan Kartje. The Trojans had also implied that scheduling was a concern. However, there was no reason for USC to have found out about the deal only now.

This agreement grants Notre Dame an automatic spot in the playoffs if it simply acquires a preseason Top 12 ranking. It is part of the CFP Committee’s recent MOU with conference commissioners, which has been in place since 2024. The focus of the MOU is that conference champions are granted a spot in the playoffs, regardless of how they rank. They would be joined by the highest-ranked non-conference team. However, since Notre Dame’s controversial absence from the playoffs, the rule specific to the Irish has become a fresh talking point.

According to Nicole Auerbach, all members of the Big 10 were made aware of the changes, which were also “unanimously supported.” That means USC was aware of Notre Dame’s situation as well. Notre Dame definitely gets a clear advantage over the team(s) that threaten its playoff hopes, like Miami did this year. Bottom line is, if USC and ND find themselves in a similar position, the Fighting Irish will make it through.

Yahoo Sports’ Dan Wolken presented a situation of Notre Dame and USC playing the rivalry as an end-of-season game. Even if the Trojans defeat the Irish to hypothetically level their records (say, 10-2), Notre Dame will be going to the playoff anyway. That is despite USC being the winner on head-to-head grounds. The CFP Committee’s consideration of late-season rivalry losses also plays a role here.

Notre Dame is no cupcake team, and will always pose a challenge for USC. In such a situation, USC thought it better to escape this threat and prioritize its interests for the playoffs. ND’s new advantage harms USC in one way or the other, especially if the game is scheduled in the latter half of the season. USC did negotiate the renewal of the rivalry by moving the game to Week 0, but the Irish refused.

Lincoln Riley, after cancelling the renewal of the rivalry, has once again become a villain in the USC community.

USC icon Keyshawn Johnson sounds off on Lincoln Riley

Negotiations of the deal falling through have angered both Notre Dame and USC fans. But Trojan icon Keyshawn Johnson, who “grew up” watching the famed rivalry, unleashed absolute wrath on USC’s agenda. And, he managed to take a dig at Lincoln Riley and his future at USC.

“[If] I can remember correctly, I had Lincoln Riley saying, well, I don’t know if I want to play them in the future. You ain’t gonna be here in the future! Especially if you keep missing the playoffs. You not gonna be here in the future, I promise you that,” Keyshawn Johnson said in a video on X.

“Why would we cancel our biggest rivalry? Because we can’t beat ’em? It’s ridiculous. It makes zero sense.”

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Since Marcus Freeman assumed control over Notre Dame football, the Irish have established a 3-game winning streak in the rivalry. The Fighting Irish HC has been on a rise ever since he took the job, while Lincoln Riley became a disappointment. The rivalry gave the Trojans fierce competition in their already competition-heavy schedule. That’s why, losing to Notre Dame becomes a problem, especially for Lincoln Riley. Notre Dame will very likely feature in the preseason Top-12 anyway, since Freeman has a pretty good team to look forward to. The Irish pretty much already have their ticket to the playoffs next year.

Riley saved himself from becoming part of the very active coaching carousel this season with a 9-3 record, after two difficult seasons. USC not playing Notre Dame might be the biggest gamble he’s ever made in his career, because it all now depends on how he is able to make the playoffs without the threat of the Irish in the picture.