USC is preparing to play its last year in the Pac-12 before the school officially moves to the Big Ten, along with UCLA. That means that the Trojans will have to develop new rivalries as part of being in a new conference.
Still, USC football coach Lincoln Riley hopes one rivalry remains intact. The Trojans second-year leader wants to try and continue their annual matchup with Notre Dame even after USC moves to the Big Ten.
“That’s one of the biggest rivalries in college football,” Riley said, via ESPN’s Heather Dinich. “We’re going into a damn good league. We open up with LSU next year and then play the whole Big Ten. Are we getting rid of Notre Dame? Hell no. Find a way.”
The Trojans and Fighting Irish have a long history playing each other, dating all the way back to 1926. The two sides have played each other in almost every since then, for a total of 92 football games, despite never playing in the same conference.
Since Notre Dame has always been an Independent in football, it is a lot easier for them choose their schedule based on preference instead of geography or conference affiliations. Therefore, it is likely the USC-Notre Dame rivalry will continue even if the rest of the Trojans’ schedule changes.
After a stretch of four straight Notre Dame wins, USC snapped the losing streak last year with a 38–27 home win over the Fighting Irish in Riley’s first season as Trojans coach.
