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USC drops long-time rival ND from 2026 schedule
Posted on 12/23/25 at 5:18 am
Posted on 12/23/25 at 5:18 am
Having played each other 96 times (only WW II and Covid interfered), USC will not play ND in 2026. It’s a reaction to the sweetheart deal ND got with the CFP.
SI
Time for SEC teams to do the same.
SI
Time for SEC teams to do the same.
13
Posted on 12/23/25 at 5:35 am to RelentlessTide
Ouch. Seems ND’s decision backfired on them quickly lol
Posted on 12/23/25 at 5:47 am to RelentlessTide
I’ve been as hard on ND as anyone, but I don’t blame them for this. Lincoln Riley and the AD apparently wanted out of this series all year.
It’s not surprising given Riley’s past. He left OU because they were set to join the SEC and he’d face tougher teams, and now he drops a team that he is 1-3 against and that USC is 2-8 against in their last 10. With Indiana and Oregon appearing like they’ll make the playoffs yearly, I could see him leaving soon. Apparently he and his agent were looking at other opportunities this year behind the scenes. If Texas Tech ever opened I think he’d leave in a heartbeat because the Big 12 is garbage.
This post was edited on 12/23/25 at 5:49 am
Posted on 12/23/25 at 5:59 am to RelentlessTide
It's more about when. USC was willing to play the game, but just do it early. Notre Dame, wanting a tougher game near the end, didn't want to do it that way. USC had the leverage as ND needs the game more than ND does.
Posted on 12/23/25 at 6:00 am to RelentlessTide
quote:
Southern Cal drops long-time rival ND from 2026 schedule
Fify
Posted on 12/23/25 at 7:00 am to koreandawg
quote:
USC had the leverage as ND needs the game more than ND does.
?
Posted on 12/23/25 at 7:29 am to RelentlessTide
I hate to see rivalries go away. further sterilizes the game, it's college football version of restrictor plate or COTM.
Posted on 12/23/25 at 7:38 am to RelentlessTide
The entire system is corrupted with lies and deceit.
Posted on 12/23/25 at 8:27 am to vholley50
Lincoln Riley is trying to schedule a CFP berth, just like Indiana did……
LR left Oklahoma because he was skeeered of the SEC.
LR left Oklahoma because he was skeeered of the SEC.
Posted on 12/23/25 at 8:34 am to RelentlessTide
quote:
Time for SEC teams to do the same.
Damn. Auburn is scheduled to play ND for the first time ever in ‘27.
Posted on 12/23/25 at 8:49 am to koreandawg
quote:Timing is a huge problem for ND, and the ultimate reason why a long term deal wasn't going to happen. However, Riley was only too happy to pull the plug as soon as possible, being the bitch that he is.
It's more about when. USC was willing to play the game, but just do it early. Notre Dame, wanting a tougher game near the end, didn't want to do it that way. USC had the leverage as ND needs the game more than ND does.
Sometime a few years back, the Big Ten decided that it didn't want its members playing non-conference games once conference play started. I don't know why that is, but it really impacts Notre Dame, which has long relied on Big Ten teams for scheduling. If the other conferences took the Big Ten approach, Notre Dame would find itself with no one to play come October.
Posted on 12/23/25 at 8:55 am to RelentlessTide
USC can get bent, but.... Good job
Posted on 12/23/25 at 8:59 am to Zgeo
quote:
Lincoln Riley is trying to schedule a CFP berth, just like Indiana did……
LR left Oklahoma because he was skeeered of the SEC.
Yet his team was able to beat LSU.
Posted on 12/23/25 at 9:05 am to RelentlessTide
I've been banging this drum. Sankey needs to sacrifice some $$ in scheduling ND, and use our conference power to force ND into a conference.
If BIG 10 and SEC both box ND out of games, ND will HAVE to join a conference.
If BIG 10 and SEC both box ND out of games, ND will HAVE to join a conference.
Posted on 12/23/25 at 9:06 am to RelentlessTide
quote:
It’s a reaction to the sweetheart deal ND got with the CFP.
Apparently USC offered to play the game at the start of the season next year but Notre Dame declined. USC said frick you to playing it in the middle of conference play, and frick your autobid
Every single P4 program should cancel their series with the domers. Why should they get special treatment no one else gets? If we all black ball them, their program goes from blue blood to G5 within a couple seasons. 4/5* recruits arent going to play for a school whose schedule consists of Northern Illinois, Navy, and Ball State
Posted on 12/23/25 at 9:26 am to GeauxBurrow312
quote:
Every single P4 program should cancel their series with the domers. Why should they get special treatment no one else gets? If we all black ball them, their program goes from blue blood to G5 within a couple seasons. 4/5* recruits arent going to play for a school whose schedule consists of Northern Illinois, Navy, and Ball State
Posted on 12/23/25 at 9:28 am to RelentlessTide
If the Big 10 is going to a 9-team conference schedule, it makes sense to drop tough OOC games.
If every power conference is going the same way, Notre Dame is SOL.
Posted on 12/23/25 at 9:38 am to TheHarahanian
Riley has been trying to drop tough games from the day he arrived at uscw.
Posted on 12/23/25 at 9:41 am to RelentlessTide
This is a big deal.
This rivalry is important to the game regardless of how you feel about it.
College football is a fricking sterilized product now.
This rivalry is important to the game regardless of how you feel about it.
College football is a fricking sterilized product now.
Posted on 12/23/25 at 9:43 am to RelentlessTide
Lincoln Riley is a coward and would’ve used any justification to get out of this game. That said, ND and its corrupt deal with the CFP gave them a convenient excuse.
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