USC and Notre Dame announced they will resume their rivalry through a four-game series commencing in 2030. The two schools will open the sequence with a Week 1 contest at USC’s Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum during the 2030 season, followed by a Week 1 matchup at Notre Dame in 2031. The specific dates and scheduling details for the third and fourth games remain to be finalized, though both contests are planned for early in the season.
The agreement comes after the schools were unable to finalize terms the previous December, which had threatened to disrupt a series that traces back to 1946 with only a brief interruption in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. USC athletics director Jen Cohen emphasized the significance of the renewed matchup and noted that scheduling the rivalry games early in the season allows both programs to maintain competitive flexibility with their conference peers while prioritizing athlete welfare.
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman had expressed optimism earlier in the offseason that the two programs would reach an agreement, citing the importance of the rivalry to college football. Freeman previously noted that any scheduling adjustments needed to align with the program’s competitive interests. As part of facilitating the future rivalry series, Indiana agreed to cancel its previously scheduled home-and-home series with Notre Dame that had been set for 2030.
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