What's the future of Notre Dame-USC?
Marcus Freeman and Lincoln Riley are in favor of keeping the rivalry. But ...
INDIANAPOLIS — Conference realignment has left many traditional rivalries by the wayside. Could Notre Dame-USC be next?
Count Irish head coach Marcus Freeman as someone who would love to see the battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh last well into the future and beyond.
“I love it. I hope we continue to do it,” Freeman told The Inside Zone by phone Thursday. “But again, every program’s gonna do what’s best for their conference — and obviously I’m not speaking about us — and their chances to make the Playoff. So I’ll let our administration figure it out, but I would love to continue this rivalry because it’s historic, and it goes way back. It’s a great opponent and again, I love the rivalry and I want it to continue to happen.”
Freeman’s remarks come one day after USC coach Lincoln Riley spoke about the rivalry’s future at Big Ten media days. The Trojans are set to begin their first season in the Big Ten this fall, meaning they will be making more annual trips to Midwestern schools. They have played the Irish 94 times, and every year since 1926, with the exception of breaks for World War II (1943-45) and the pandemic (2020).