It’s human to feel anxious when one of the greatest college football rivalries stands to be threatened. That’s how USC and Notre Dame fans will be feeling. The rivalry is just shy of completing a century of its existence, and there are fears that USC vs. Notre Dame will stop showing up in CFB schedules. What’s more troubling is that Lincoln Riley is sitting back, letting this issue catch more and more fire. Experts think something more concerning is going on backstage.

The October matchup between the Trojans and the Fighting Irish could be the last time these two teams face off against each other. The series deal that ensured USC vs. Notre Dame games is set to expire in 2026, and negotiations are not making any headway. Notre Dame reportedly has no problem continuing their matchups—they want a long-term extension. It’s the USC who’s icing them out. The Los Angeles Times’ Ryan Kartye wrote that USC is open to an extension only on a season-to-season basis. The program wants to wait it out to see if their conference gets four automatic spots in the playoffs.

The media has now doubled down on the Trojans HC, accusing him of ‘chickening out.’ However, a Notre Dame insider thinks that this is Riley giving it back to the USC management for taking them out of the Pac-12. In a May 23 video of Locked On College Football, Tyler Wojciak shared what he thought possibly led to this impasse. “I think they made the decision to leave the Pac-12 to go to the Big 10 without considering his opinion. Maybe they just did it without even telling him. Maybe he found out, like the rest of us, that they just made that decision. And I think that he was upset by that.”

Before that, Wojciak supposed that Riley came to USC in the first place because the schedule was easier, and a playoff spot seemed more achievable than being in the SEC. “[There’s] obvious benefits to going to USC. I also think he didn’t want to coach in the SEC because I think he realized just how hard it was going to be to get to the college football playoff even though Oklahoma was a really good program, he was going to play a much tougher schedule.” Riley’s first year as the Trojans’ HC had fans confident in his future. His arrival meant those double-digit finishes would be a regular occurrence at USC.

But the transition to the Big 10 became a wrinkle in Riley’s graph. “This might be a bit of a giveback, where Lincoln Riley can say, ‘Hey, you made a move to the Big 10. Now I have a much tougher schedule. You did that without my permission or at least asking for my input or caring about my input. Now you owe me one. The schedule needs to get a little bit easier.’” And by way of that, he wants the Notre Dame series to be axed. “Clearly Lincoln Riley does not care about the Notre Dame-USC rivalry,” Wojciak claimed.

It has gone downhill for Riley ever since USC entered the Big 10. Marcus Freeman has held that HC cap at South Bend for a solid three seasons now, and his chart has gone the opposite way. Wojciak’s thoughts about Riley’s feelings on the rivalry might have some truth, based on what the HC said recently.

Lincoln Riley is not concerned with ‘changes’ in college football

In a May 23 episode of ESPN College Football, Riley spoke about the umbrella topic of ‘college football changes’ and whether they affected him. He said coolly, “It really doesn’t. […] all of these things have to start somewhere.” But he acknowledged the uproar caused by fans and experts alike about the USC-Notre Dame situation. “[Are] there some changes that I understand people are having a hard time coming to grips with? Sure. Like, right again, I get it. But like, the alternative is pretty darn good.”

“[It’s] creating some just incredible matchups and obviously, you know, and then seeing how the playoff played out this year and obviously that’s going to continue to evolve and I think just get better. Like, our sport is in a great place.” Riley claimed. New games are always welcome. But do they have to come at the cost of a century-old rivalry that fans have loved for so long?

Freeman and Riley battled it out roughly in their first meetup in 2022. The Trojans triumphed over Notre Dame, winning 38-27. But the year Riley entered the Big 10? Freeman had blowout wins against USC. And he also began his career as an HC in a tougher environment. It was Freeman who advanced 14-1 to the National Championship. Riley, on the other hand, sputtered throughout the season and ended with a sorry 7-5 record.

Is Lincoln Riley simply embracing the spirit of a more dynamic college football? Or does he want payback for USC’s transition to the Big 10? Riley is going to want any help he can get to stop the downward slide in his career. Will a Notre Dame-sans schedule be the solution?