08/03/26 03:08:00
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08/03 15:06 CDT Notre Dame and USC agree to resume football rivalry with a
4-game series starting in 2030
Notre Dame and USC agree to resume football rivalry with a 4-game series
starting in 2030
By ERIC OLSON
AP College Football Writer
The Notre Dame-Southern California college football rivalry will start again in
2030.
The schools announced Monday they have agreed to a four-game home-and-home
series. Notre Dame will play in Los Angeles on Aug. 31, 2030, and the Trojans
will visit South Bend, Indiana, on Aug. 30, 2031. The meetings in 2032 and 2033
will be played in the first three weeks of the season.
The teams met each non-pandemic season from 1946-2025, typically in October or
November, in what became known as "the greatest intersectional rivalry in
college football." The exception was the 2020 season when most schools played a
conference-only schedule.
The 2030 date opened up when defending national champion Indiana canceled a
home-and-home series with the Irish that was scheduled for 2030 and 2031, a
person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no official announcement had
been made.
Negotiations between Notre Dame and USC to continue the annual series became
challenging after the Trojans joined the Big Ten in 2024. The Trojans expressed
that they did not want to play nonconference games after September. Notre Dame
beat the Trojans 34-24 in South Bend last Oct. 18, and the series officially
went on hiatus in December when the Irish announced they had filled the last
open spot on their 2026 schedule with a game at BYU.
Notre Dame and USC first played in 1926 and the Irish lead the series 53-38-5.
The series also was put on hold from 1943-45, during World War II.
The two schools have combined to win 22 national championships and produce 15
Heisman Trophy winners, and the discontinuation prompted consternation on both
sides. Navy is the only team Notre Dame has played more than USC, at 98
meetings.
Notre Dame and USC play for the Jeweled Shillelagh Trophy, a tradition which
began in 1952. The Jeweled Shillelagh Trophy is presented by the Notre Dame
Club of Los Angeles. Notre Dame victories are marked by green-jeweled shamrocks
while USC victories are marked by ruby-jeweled Trojan heads.
"USC's historic rivalry with Notre Dame holds a special place in the history of
college football, and we are happy to resume a series that means so much to the
entire Trojan Family," USC athletic director Jen Cohen said. "It remains
important for us to play this game early in the season, as it allows us to
schedule competitively with our Big Ten peers and takes into account the health
and best interests of our student-athletes and program. We are excited for our
fans, and we look forward to more memorable matchups and unforgettable games
between the Trojans and the Irish."
The Hoosiers and Irish last met in the first CFP playoff to be held at a campus
site in December 2024. Notre Dame won 27-17 in South Bend and reached the
national championship game before losing to Ohio State 34-23.
In 2021, Indiana and Notre Dame agreed to what was supposed to be the first
regular-season game between the two in-state schools since 1991. The Irish have
won seven straight in the series with Indiana's last victory coming in 1950.
But since the arrival of coach Curt Cignetti in 2024, Indiana has not played
any Power Four schools, or Notre Dame, outside the conference schedule or the
playoffs. The Hoosiers drew some criticism last summer when they also canceled
a scheduled home-and-home series with Virginia. Indiana responded by winning
its first Big Ten title since 1967, the first national championship in school
history and by becoming the first 16-0 team in major college football since the
1890s.
___
AP Sports Writer Michael Marot in Indianapolis contributed to this report.
___
AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and
https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
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