One of college football’s longest-lasting and most storied rivalries will be taking a break in 2026.
After months of negotiations and public posturing, USC and Notre Dame have failed to reach an agreement to continue their rivalry series, according to a person familiar with the situation but not authorized to discuss it publicly.
USC has now turned its focus to finding a new nonconference opponent to fill out its 2026 schedule. The earliest the two rivals could play again, a person familiar with discussions told The Times, is the 2030 season.
The rivalry series dates back to 1926 and was only previously paused for World War II. With the exception of the 2020 pandemic-shortened season, the two schools had played for 78 straight seasons. They last met in October, with Notre Dame dealing USC a 34-24 defeat.