A compromise proposal for USC and Notre Dame in rivalry negotiations

On Monday, we got a report from Ryan Kartje of the Los Angeles Times that USC and Notre Dame are in discussions to resume their stories football rivalry. After playing each other nearly every season for the past century, the two schools could not reach an agreement for the 2026 season, and will not face off this fall. One of the points of contention for the two schools during negotiations the first time around was reportedly scheduling.

The Irish preferred that the matchup remain when it has been played for more than 60 years now—mid-October in South Bend in odd years, and late November in Los Angeles in even years. USC, on the other hand, wanted to move the game to earlier in the season, when the majority of nonconference matchups take place. My proposal With the two sides now back at the negotiating table, I am hereby proposing a compromise.

The matchup can move to the start of the season when it is played in South Bend, but remain in its traditional rivalry weekend slot in years that it is in Los Angeles. How USC benefits I think that this should be a reasonable compromise that both sides can agree to. The Trojans get to avoid having to travel to Notre Dame during the middle of the Big Ten schedule, which was their biggest issue with the previous arrangement.

In addition, USC once again gets to close the season with a home rivalry game at the Coliseum every season—Notre Dame in even years, and UCLA in odd years. How Notre Dame benefits The Irish, meanwhile, get to resume traveling to California for Thanksgiving every season (Notre Dame ends the regular season at Stanford in odd years). Not only is this valuable to their West Coast fan base, but it also accomplishes the important task of getting the team and fans out of South Bend, Indiana during late November, when the weather there is not particularly pleasant.