Latest Reports on Notre Dame's Rivalry Game vs. USC After BYU Contract

Notre Dame and USC are preparing to skip their rivalry game next season for just the second time in eight decades, Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger reported Monday.

The two schools put out a joint statement on Monday:

The news comes after USC and Notre Dame "failed to reach an agreement" on their next rivalry game "despite months of negotiations," per Dellenger.

According to Dellenger, "administrators plan to work to restart USC-Notre Dame series as soon as 2030."

Notre Dame and USC are heading into next season having played 79 consecutive rivalry games, excepting a break during the 2020 pandemic season, per Dellenger.

The news comes the same day as the Fighting Irish's announcement of a new agreement to play BYU in 2026 and 2027.

The news comes after Notre Dame declined the opportunity to play BYU in the Pop-Tarts Bowl following the Irish's exclusion from the 2025 College Football Playoff.

According to Dellenger, the reason for failed negotiations between Notre Dame and USC went back to "scheduling complications and College Football Playoff implications."

According to Dellenger, Notre Dame and USC were in discussions about extending the season series as recently as two weeks prior to Monday's announcement.

That puts the reported dissolution of talks at about the time the CFP selection committee announced on Dec. 7 that Notre Dame had been ousted by the playoff in favor of Miami.

Ryan Kartje of the Los Angeles Times reported the two sides had made an agreement on extending the series, but USC changed paths after learning about a CFP rule:

The earliest the two sides can now meet again is in 2030, per Kartje.

The Fighting Irish finished the season with a 10-2 record, but their playoff hopes were ultimately sunk by a season-opening loss to Miami back in August.

Dellenger reported the failed agreement Notre Dame was originally negotiating with USC would have involved the Irish playing on the road after Thanksgiving, then hosting the Trojans in 2027.

"However, USC officials determined that the game date was not ideal considering past decisions from the CFP selection committee in punishing schools for losses, especially those late in the season," Dellenger wrote.

Notre Dame is already slated to play Wisconsin and Michigan State alongside BYU in 2026. Auburn, Purdue, Michigan State, BYU and Clemson are on the books for 2027, and the Irish are playing Texas in 2028 and 2029, per Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde.

Given those matchups in addition to the Irish's contractually obligated five annual games with ACC opponents, it sounds like of the oldest rivalry matchups in college football could be on hold for the next few years as Notre Dame looks to make it make it back into the expanded playoff.