Lincoln Riley Wants USC-Notre Dame Rivalry: ‘One of the Reasons I Came Here’

All the reshuffling of schedules, conferences and playoff formats in college football has placed one of the sport’s best rivalries in jeopardy: USC-Notre Dame.

The contract for a rivalry that dates to 1926 expires after their game in 2026 in Los Angeles. Both schools have expressed a willingness to lock down more games, but differences over how many appear to be holding up the negotiations.

USC’s move to the Big Ten gave the Trojans less flexibility in their non-conference schedule. Big Ten teams have nine conference games and only three open slots.

Speaking at Big Ten Media Days on Thursday, Trojans coach Lincoln Riley said he was, of course, hopeful that the series will continue. But not at any cost.

“I want to play the game. Absolutely. It’s one of the reasons I came here,” Riley said. “But, also, my allegiance and my loyalty is not to Notre Dame, and it’s not to anybody else. I’m the head football coach at USC, and I’m going to back USC.”

Some of the uncertainty revolves around the College Football Playoff.

The Trojans have lost six of the last seven against Notre Dame. If CFP leaders decide to award four automatic bids to the Big Ten, which is the conference’s preference, a long-term deal to play the Irish might be more palatable to USC. A system with more at-large bids, however, would make it more difficult, from a CFP standpoint, to absorb a non-conference loss.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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