Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman Says He 'Would Love to Continue the Rivalry' vs. USC

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman is interested in continuing to play USC on an annual basis with the future of the rivalry uncertain.

"Where I feel about USC is very clear, would love to play 'em every single year," Freeman said Thursday, per Pete Sampson of The Athletic. "Don't matter when we play 'em, I would love to continue the rivalry as long as I'm the head coach here. I think rivalries are great for college football. I think they're great for sports."

The Trojans and the Fighting Irish have faced each other a total of 92 times and are set to clash again during the 2025 season, but they don't currently have another game scheduled beyond it.

Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde reported on May 19 that USC has "expressed reluctance" to reach an agreement on a long-term deal with Notre Dame, offering a one-year extension instead.

With the College Football Playoff format subject to change, Freeman explained that facing USC every year is also beneficial for Notre Dame to stay independent.

"As far as scheduling, we know that we have to continue to have a challenging schedule to stay independent, and I know Pete Bevacqua and (deputy athletic director) Ron Powlus do a great job of making sure that we stay competitive enough but also not making decisions that are detrimental to our football program, too," Freeman said, via Sampson.

USC is coming off its first year as a member of the Big Ten, finishing with a 7-6 record under head coach Lincoln Riley. This included a 4-5 record against conference opponents.

As the Trojans look to navigate through their second year in the Big Ten and the Fighting Irish attempt to return to the national title game, Freeman wants to see the rivalry extend beyond 2025.