Alabama-Tennessee Shows What Notre Dame-USC Should Be

The biggest news in college football on Wednesday had to do with uniforms.

It was reported that when SEC rivals Alabama and Tennessee meet both this year and next, that the two will each wear its home uniforms for the games in both Tuscaloosa and Knoxville.

This was done annually for this contest through 1970 and hasn't been done since.

With that in the news, my mind only goes to the biggest rival on Notre Dame's schedule, at least in the years to come.

Notre Dame vs USC Should Be a Color Rush Game

Notre Dame and USC should play every year, but that is not the case for the 2026 through 2029 seasons. The two are set to restart the rivalry on the field in the 2030 seasons, when Notre Dame opens that year in Los Angeles.

Two Jerseys. One Rivalry.
Third Saturday in October.

🔗: https://t.co/nkfe2cKD5n pic.twitter.com/QWdU5Ay3XO
— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) August 19, 2026

When the rivalry kicks back off it would be spectacular if the two both showed up wearing traditional home colors.

Yes, USC already does the color rush idea when it plays USC, as both wear their home uniforms in both the Los Angeles Coliseum and Rose Bowl, but upping the uniform game for two of the true classic looks in the sport would be outstanding.

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Takeaways

Usually I'm all for doing traditional things in college football - you know - playing rivalry games that have been played for nearly 100 years and keeping the regular season the best regular season in all major sports.

However, why in 2026 do we still force the dark home uniform (unless you're LSU) and white road uniform?

As long as it's not something like red on red (say Indiana is playing Ohio State), why doesn't each team get to choose which color jersey they're wearing for each game?

For instance, if Notre Dame wants to wear it's traditional home uniform (navy blue) when it travels to USC, why can't it?

I'm all for traditions in college football and think they're what separate it from nearly every sport in North American sports, but some aren't necessary.

Yes, wearing similar colors would be an issue and we have to avoid that, but in today's college football I'd be all for seeing more of these color rush type games when the colors allow for it.

Heck, Notre Dame and Wisconsin are doing it to start the year at Lambeau Field and if those two non-traditional rivals can, then why shouldn't Notre Dame and USC when that rivalry restarts?

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