The annual "Greatest intersectional rivalry" game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and USC Trojans was supposed to return to Los Angeles in 2026 after the two teams played in South Bend in 2025.But the two sides could not come to an agreement on when the game should be played, with USC wanting to move the game earlier in the season to accommodate their Big Ten Conference schedule.
Notre Dame, meanwhile, wanted to leave it where it's traditionally been played: October in Indiana and November in LA.Notre Dame, though, has no conference schedule to worry about, no potential conference championship game to consider.They set their own schedules, with a handful of games against ACC opponents their only obligation.
Their special arrangement with the College Football Playoff, where simply getting to the Top 12 guarantees them a spot, despite the easier road they have, gives them yet another advantage.ILLINOIS COACH BRET BIELEMA FIRES BACK AT NOTRE DAME AD OVER RECENT REMARKS: 'JUST JOIN A CONFERENCE'Notre Dame head football coach Marcus Freeman adjusts his radio against the Boise State Broncos at Notre Dame Stadium on Oct.4, 2025.
(Michael Caterina/Imagn Images)Head coach Marcus Freeman also specifically addressed scheduling concerns, saying he'd play the game at any point in the season because it's good for the sport."It’s pretty black and white for me," Freeman said in 2025, per 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."But when push came to shove, the Irish balked at moving the game earlier in the season, preferring instead to set up a remarkably, uh, generous schedule for themselves in 2026.
USC walked away, leading head coach Lincoln Riley to repeatedly bring up that Freeman and the Irish had not lived up to their sta...