The talk of college football the past week has centered around the historic rivalry between the USC Trojans and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. It is a rivalry that dates back to 1924, and the only time the game did not take place was during World War II and the COVID-19 Pandemic. The teams have met 95 times.
No one wants to see this historic game end. No one on the USC Trojans side, and no one on the Notre Dame side.
However, the contract between the two programs expires after the 2025 season, putting the matchup in jeopardy.
While the national media would like you to believe otherwise, Lincoln Riley and USC have stated that they value the game and that it is important to the program and the fanbase. They don’t want to see it go anywhere.
But in this new world of college football, with a huge number of conference games, a conference championship game, and undecided qualifiers and structure to get into the college football playoff, unfortunately, adjustments need to be made.
While Lincoln Riley has stated that he does not want to see the game end, many have been critical that he has not been more poignant, and are ready to bring their pitchforks to his doorstep, for ultimately, considering what is best for the USC Trojans, and not everyone else.
Marcus Freeman Speaks On USC Trojans – Notre Dame Rivalry
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman came out yesterday with a more concise response that stoked the flames of the propaganda machine.
“It’s pretty black and white for me,” he told members of the media as reported by BlueandGold.com. “You want my opinion? I want to play them every single year. When? I don’t care. I don’t care when we play them. Start of the season, middle of the season, end of the season — I don’t care. I want to play USC every year because it’s great for college football.”
It’s a great answer, and surely the PR department is smiling ear to ear.
Unfortunately, what most won’t report is that while his words are poignant, the actions of Notre Dame are not.
The USC Trojans have proposed a one-year extension to Notre Dame that would allow them more time to see some things ironed out, such as College Football Playoff qualifiers and structure. Notre Dame refused this, wanting an immediate long-term contract.
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It’s easy not to worry about the future when you don’t play in a conference, don’t share any revenue, and get to hand-pick your schedule every year.
Freeman says he doesn’t care when the two teams play.
Great.
There are also reports that USC would like the flexibility to move the game, potentially to the front end of the schedule, since they have a grueling conference schedule that could also include an extra game (Conference Championship) that ND will never have to play.
Why did ND turn this down?
The Fighting Irish are clearly winning the PR game, but their actions are not in alignment with their words.
The fact is, this rivalry can and should continue. But looking at the game’s landscape and being willing to adapt and shift should not be desecrated, because it would actually be malpractice if USC did not look to do what was best for their program.
Continuing to play Notre Dame every year is good for the USC Trojans. It is good for college football.
But continuing to play Notre Dame in November after playing Iowa, Oregon, and then UCLA in consecutive weeks, while then potentially playing Ohio State, Penn State, or Michigan the next week in the Big Ten Championship, is just a dereliction of duty when it comes to scheduling.
Meanwhile, Notre Dame can finish with Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and Stanford and then rest comfortably until the CFP begins.
Everyone can blame the USC Trojans for adapting to the game and coming to terms with the new world of what College Football is. But if you want to look at who is potentially killing the rivalry, don’t listen to Coach Freeman’s words; look at Notre Dame’s actions.
Actions always speak louder than words anyway.