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USC Trojans head football coach Lincoln Riley points his finger toward South Bend, Indiana.
The USC-Notre Dame football rivalry is one of the best in sports, but it has come to an end as both programs were unable to come to an agreement on an extension to play each other in the 2026-27 season series.
Riley made a media appearance before his Trojans faced TCU in the Valero Alamo Bowl, where he didn’t mind taking a shot at the Fighting Irish.
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Head coach Lincoln Riley of the USC Trojans watches before a game against the UCLA Bruins at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 29, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Harry How/Getty Images)
“It’s pretty simple. We both worked for months to try to find a solution,” Riley explained, according to The New York Post. “Notre Dame was very clear about the fact that they would play us anytime, anywhere. Obviously, not having a conference affiliation gives them the ability to be pretty flexible with their scheduling.
“We came back, Jen Cohen, our executive director, came back to Notre Dame about a couple of weeks ago with a scenario and a proposal that would extend the series for the next two years. That proposal was rejected.”
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However, Riley wasn’t done. He didn’t like how Notre Dame quickly found a new opponent after the rejection.
“Not only was it rejected, but five minutes after we got the call, it was announced that they had scheduled another opponent, which I’ll give them credit for. That might be the fastest scheduling act in the history of college football,” he said.
The team Notre Dame went with instead of USC was BYU, and they agreed to a home-and-home series instead of going with their usual schedule rival.
Meanwhile, USC is still trying to determine who will fill out its schedule.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman reacts after an Irish touchdown against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium on Nov. 15, 2025. (Charles LeClaire/Image Images)
Since 1926, the Trojans and the Fighting Irish have met on the gridiron, playing 96 times and losing only four games in that span.
And those lost games? Three from 1943-45 due to World War II and one in the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We took Notre Dame at their word that they would play us anytime, anywhere,” Riley added. “If Notre Dame had kept their word and played us anytime, anywhere, we would be playing for the next two years and, looking forward, hopefully continuing the series.”
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Instead, the all-time series for the two historic programs will remain at 51-37-5 in favor of the Fighting Irish.
