USC's Lincoln Riley blames Notre Dame for rivalry ending after Irish 'didn't live up to their word'

The Notre Dame-USC rivalry is ending for the foreseeable future after the two sides failed to come to terms on an extension, which Trojans coach Lincoln Riley squarely blames on the Fighting Irish.

Riley said during Monday's Alamo Bowl press conference that Notre Dame broke a previous agreement and left USC with no other options.

"Had Notre Dame lived up to their word and played us anytime, anywhere we'd be playing them the next two years," Riley said.

The Fighting Irish and the Trojans previously have played annually since 1946, with the lone exception being 2020 due the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Los Angeles Times reported before Christmas that USC was ready to compromise and play the 2026 game in November, but altered its mindset after learning of Notre Dame's signed memorandum of understanding with the College Football Playoff. USC instead demanded next year's game be played during Week Zero, which would be more advantageous than a potential late-season loss to the Fighting Irish in the playoff discussion.

Had Notre Dame's MOU been in play this season, the Fighting Irish would have been the selection committee's final at-large pick over Miami, given the "assurance" for being ranked inside the top 12.

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Notre Dame has already announced a home-and-home series with BYU to take place in 2026 and 2027 in place of the matchups with USC, while the Trojans are still searching for a replacement opponent.

Notre Dame and USC put out a statement after failing to come to terms earlier this month.

"USC and Notre Dame recognize how special our rivalry is to our fans, our teams, and college football, and our institutions will continue working towards bringing back The Battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh," Notre Dame and USC said in the joint statement. "The rivalry between our two schools is one of the best in all of sport, and we look forward to meeting again in the future." 

Notre Dame, as an independent, will play one of the nation's most favorable slates in 2026 with USC no longer on the docket. The Fighting Irish only three true road games -- North Carolina, Syracuse and Purdue -- along with neutral-site contests against Wisconsin and Navy.

The Midshipmen are the only team among those five that finished bowl-eligible, and Notre Dame has won eight straight in the rivalry series, including six by at least 20 points.

BYU and Miami are the only opponents on next season's schedule for Notre Dame that will have finished the 2025 campaign inside the national rankings.

Before the season, Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua told Sports Illustrated that he hoped the rivalry would continue to be an annual event. "I think Southern Cal and Notre Dame should play every year for as long as college football is played," he said, "and SC knows that's how we feel."