Notre Dame, USC in 'active discussions' to resume rivalry

The USC Trojans and Notre Dame Fighting Irish are not set to play the next two seasons after they were unable to come to a new scheduling agreement, but the gane could be coming back sooner than expected. Ryan Kartje of the Los Angeles Times reported on Monday that the two schools "are in active discussions to resume play."

One of the problems in the initial negotiations was when the game would be played. USC wants to play it earlier in the season during the rest of their non-conference schedule, allowing them to focus on Big Ten play to end the year. Notre Dame wanted to keep playing the game later in the season, giving them a chance to get a signature when right before the College Football Playoff. However, they are now willing to discuss playing it earlier, according to Kartje.

While they are back at the table, it is unclear when exactly the game could return to the schedule, with Kartje pointing to the 2030 season as a potential return due to scheduling agreements. One source told Kartje that they were "optimistic" that the two sides could come to an agreement.

USC and Notre Dame have played 93 times, with the Fighting Irish leading the series 51-37-5 after winning the three most recent meetings. Outside of the shortened 2020 season, they played every year from 1946 to 2025.

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