November 30, 2024, is the date that the USC Trojans fans will remember for the longest time. But not for the good reasons. Lincoln Riley’s USC lost to the No.5 Marcus Freeman’s Notre Dame Fighting Irish in a 49-35 disastrous feat. The Trojans’ Jayden Maiava plan failed as the quarterback completed 27 of 48 passes for 360 yards and came up with three touchdowns.

The tables were turned when Freeman’s cornerback Christian Gray and safety Xavier Watts came up with two pick-sixes in the final minutes. And this broke Riley’s morale. After the game, the Trojans’ head coach had poured his heart out, “We battled today just like we have all year.  We just didn’t play good enough, obviously, in the second half and gave ourselves some chances right there at the end and tried to stay aggressive, and obviously some plays just didn’t go our way.” The 2025 season is yet to pull the curtains, and we can already feel the heat of the (in)famous USC vs Notre Dame rivalry.

The rivalry dates back to 1926. So, it’s hitting the 100-year mark. Riley’s Trojans hold a record of 37-45 against Freeman’s Notre Dame. During their last 10 matchups, the record stands at 3-7. However, this rivalry is on the verge of breaking. But Freeman’s program is making one last try to preserve it. On July 29, CFB journalist Adam Rittenberg shared Pete Sampson’s tweet with the caption, “Notre Dame athletic director weighing in.” The original tweet read, “Pete Bevacqua added  Notre Dame is open to an occasional neutral site game in the series and reaffirmed Notre Dame is willing to move the game’s date around in the calendar to accommodate USC continuing the series.” 

As per the reports, this year’s face-off, set for October 18 in South Bend, is the last one in the current contract between Notre Dame and USC. It’s Riley and Co., who are hesitant to sign any long-term agreement. The reason? The uncertainty that looms around the College Football Playoff and the demands of heightened travel since joining the Big Ten Conference. So, someone had to be the bigger person, and here Freeman’s athletic director is trying to save its most historic rivalry. 

During a scrum with local media, Pete Bevacqua shared, “I’ve said it. [Notre Dame head football coach] Marcus [Freeman] has said it. And we make no secret about it. We want to play USC every year. As I’ve said in the past, I just think that would be a horrible thing if we don’t. I think it would be bad for us. I think it would be bad for college football.” So, now the decision rests with the other side.

“We’re going back, we’re having conversations to try to put something together. You have to ask them specifically, but we are 100 percent committed. A HUNDRED percent committed to doing everything we can to keep that series going,” noted Freeman’s AD. History says USC and Notre Dame have met almost every year since 1926, except for two. World War II and the COVID pandemic. Now, where do Riley and the Trojans stand in their willingness to keep the rivalry alive? 

The 16-team playoff format casts a shadow of uncertainty on the USC Trojans

The Trojans have paid service to keep the USC vs Notre Dame rivalry running. However, they sounded indifferent to the situation. And for this, Riley landed in the hot seat. For now, for Freeman’s Fighting Irish, things are pretty black and white as they want to continue with the rivalry. But for the Trojans, things are a bit complex. Right now, a 16-team model possibility is looming in the corner. This format would award four automatic bids to both the Big Ten and the SEC.

With this, USC will have to sign up for more challenging non-conference games. Given the current 12-team format, it can be presumed that Riley’s boys losing to Freeman’s Fighting Irish would do more harm to USC’s resume as compared to the hike that would come if they win. So, Riley will put USC’s chances at making the College Football Playoff first. At the Big Ten Media Days, the Trojans’ head coach shared, “Does it matter when it’s played? I don’t think so. I think that’s something that we’ll always look at. I think depending on what happens here from a playoff perspective and do we expand, what model do we go to, that’s certainly going to have an impact.”

However, USC tried not to jump to a conclusion yet. And continued to keep a thin light of hope still flickering. Lincoln Riley shared, “This might be the most important one, right, is that we give every reason for college football to preserve the nonconference games that mean a lot to the history of the game and the fan bases.” So, as of now, the Trojans are likely to wait for the College Football Playoff 16-team extension to happen before hitting the extension button with Marcus Freeman’s Notre Dame.