Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman discusses USC rivalry impasse
SOUTH BEND — In the latest installment of cross-country pickleball, it was Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman’s turn on Wednesday, Jan. 14, to lament the interruption of the hallowed intersectional rivalry with USC.
“You know me, I’m a competitive individual,” Freeman said. “I want to go and go play anytime, anywhere, but at the same token it’s important that I make decisions too that are best for the program. To move a game that we were pretty sure was going to be Week 12 to Week 0 isn’t what’s best for our program.”
Notre Dame, which rallied from an 0-2 start to win its final 10 games of 2025, is slated to open the 2026 season on Sunday Sept. 6 against Wisconsin at Green Bay’s famed Lambeau Field.
USC coach Lincoln Riley, speaking ahead of an Alamo Bowl loss to TCU, pinned the blame for the series’ recent cancellation on Notre Dame reversing its prior public stance that it would face the Trojans, regardless of location or timing.
Riley also jabbed the Irish for quickly announcing a new home-and-home series with Brigham Young that will take the place of the long-running, long-distance tradition with USC.
“I’ll give them credit,” Riley said on Dec. 29. “That might be the fastest scheduling act in college football history.”
Freeman smiled when the recent smack talk was referenced.
“You know I don’t listen to a lot of noise,” Freeman said with a chuckle. “Look, I’ve said this before. That rivalry is important for college football, and I’m confident, with (deputy athletic director) Ron Powlus and (AD) Pete Bevacqua, we’ll get that rivalry back.”
Notre Dame and USC first played nearly a century ago ― Dec. 4, 1926, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Since then, only World War II and a pandemic had stopped them from playing until the recent dust-up.
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Reasons behind the mutual reluctanceNow a member of the Big Ten, the Trojans are wary of making an additional trip to the Midwest every other year. They also aren’t keen on facing an annual powerhouse like Notre Dame at the end of the regular season, especially with a spot in the Big Ten Championship something USC one day hopes to secure.
“They had to make decisions that were best for their program,” Freeman said. “I don’t blame them. They had to make decisions. We had to make decisions. Blame me.”
Like the Trojans, the Irish had to consider their potential path to a spot in the College Football Playoff. Currently at 12 teams, it could soon expand to 16 or even 24 annual entrants.
Should that happen, the selection process could include more wiggle room for teams with multiple regular-season losses.
“I just want to make sure that we have a great opportunity this season,” Freeman said, “... We have a schedule that if we do what we’re supposed to do and leave no doubt, as you continue to hear me say, we can get into the playoffs.”
Notre Dame narrowly missed a second straight CFP trip in 2025.
“And that’s what’s important,” Freeman said of the postseason tournament. “I’m confident that this rivalry will continue at some point, hopefully in the near future.”
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman explains stalemate with USC
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