USC Under Risk to Lose Out on Booster’s Will as Lincoln Riley Urged to Step Down

Social media is awash with rumors of the abrupt dismissal of the historic USC vs. Notre Dame rivalry game. This, quite expectedly, doesn’t sit well with the donors and boosters from both sides. The two teams have reportedly failed to come to a deal to continue playing each other beyond 2025. The remaining contract will only allow them to play a single game scheduled on October 18. The blueblood programs carry a rich history of butting each other’s heads from the two different ends of the field 95 times since 1924. So, the sudden disruption was bound to bring some intense reaction. But as intense as threatening to leave the Trojans behind for good? Well, that’s a bit too much.

Recent reports suggested that several boosters are reaching out directly to the USC Board of Trustees, inquiring in detail about the uncertain future of the Notre Dame series. That was still fair and good. But one of them has gone too far, saying he will take the Trojans out of his will if the rivalry won’t resume after October this year, according to Inside USC.

It will be interesting to see how things pan out for both the powerhouses. The root of the roadblock is deeper than the surface. “The two sides see the situation very differently,” Pat Forde spilled, noting that while Notre Dame is all in securing a long-term agreement, the Trojans hesitate to make a move, and they have their reasons. They are just skeptical of the future of the continuous experiment regarding the College Football Playoff format and how many miles they have already traveled as members of the Big Ten.

They are still not just sleeping on the chance of coming to a middle ground. “We want the USC-Notre Dame rivalry to continue, which is why we offered an extension of the agreement,” USC associate athletic director Cody Worsham said. “It’s a special game to our fans and our institution. We will continue to work with Notre Dame on scheduling future games,” Worsham assured. However, the words came out hollow to the boosters, as they didn’t see any execution of those wills from the Trojans’ side.

But the question begs: why does it matter?

Peeping through the value of the quintessential Notre Dame-USC rivalry:

College football fans have always been suckers for the fascinating rivalries. The charged-up mojo, the sold-out stadium, the overflow of the adrenaline through the veins, the vibe of a nail-biting war, and the intense trash talks give them a thrill worth dying for. To have such an august rivalry on the edge of a wind-up is a blow to their spirit, as well as the school’s.

The rivalry’s watershed moments are etched in history. From Reggie Bush’s “Bush Push” in 2005 to Notre Dame’s upset of USC’s 11-game winning streak in 1973, it’s not easy to let it go. But then USC leaders aren’t unfair in their concerns. They need some clarity over the number of automatic qualifiers guaranteed to the Big Ten in the future playoff model. Until it gets fixed, they can’t sit in a long-term agreement again. They would rather want to continue on a year-to-year basis.

“This is what we continue to lose,” David Pollack expressed his raw emotion over the playoff error and its impact on the rivalries. “We continue to lose rivalries. We continue to lose things you grew up watching that you absolutely loved, that you want to see more of, because it doesn’t make sense. How many rivalries have we lost along the way because of that?”

Pollack put the NCAA higher-ups on notice, saying the rivalries’ stagnancy is a “cost of doing business” in college football’s current era, that the teams the fans are paying for. Money over emotion, financial growth over traditional rivalries! Are you seeing the pattern? Clearly, we are heading to a robotic era, lacking basic human engagement and consideration. The future is all but settled for Lincoln Riley. If they can’t reach the playoffs, the $90 million liability won’t save Riley from getting pitchforked up onto the walls. The 11-3, the 8-5, now it’s high time to step up in the overall record or step down from the chair!