USC and Notre Dame to temporarily halt historic football rivalry
Across their nearly 100-year football rivalry, USC and Notre Dame have only paused their annual matchup for global catastrophes like World War II and the Covid-19 pandemic.
That will change in 2026, as the schools will part ways and halt the classic series. In a joint statement, USC and Notre Dame confirmed that there are no current plans to play, although talks to bring it back remain underway.
"USC and Notre Dame recognize how special our rivalry is to our fans, our teams, and college football, and our institutions will continue working towards bringing back The Battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh," the statement says. "The rivalry between our two schools is one of the best in all of sport, and we look forward to meeting again in the future."
The news was first reported by Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger.
Notre Dame acted swiftly to fill the hole left by USC in its 2026 and 2027 schedules. The school announced Monday that it'll play BYU in a home-and-home series across the next two seasons, first in Provo, Utah, followed by a game in South Bend, Indiana, in 2027.
USC is yet to announce a new out-of-conference game for either season.
Dellenger reports that the two sides failed to reach a deal, with scheduling complications and College Football Playoff implications at the root of the problem.
They'll attempt to revive the rivalry by 2030, Dellenger reported.
The Fighting Irish lead the all-time series 51–37–5 and have won six of the last seven matchups, including a 34-24 victory in South Bend this October.
The storied rivalry is considered unique in the college football landscape because it's based not on geography, but on their reputations as traditional powerhouses in the sport. The schools have combined for 24 national championships and 15 Heisman Trophy winners.
The USC Trojans take on the TCU Horned Frogs in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 30 after a 9-3 regular season. Notre Dame opted out of a bowl game after being left out of the College Football Playoff despite a 10-2 record.