Former Notre Dame Star Jeremiyah Love Piles on USC Following Rivalry Renewal

The Heisman Trophy finalist from a year ago isn't about to be fearful in anyway of Notre Dame taking on USC

Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love (4) celebrates after getting a first down in the first half of a NCAA football game against Southern California at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, in South Bend. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Star running back Jeremiyah Love might be gone from Notre Dame's backfield in 2026, but the new Arizona Cardinals running back hasn't at all forgotten about the biggest rival of the Fighting Irish.

Love, who is getting used to NFL life as a rookie, took time out of training camp to participate in a radio interview with The Burns & Gambo Show on 98.7 in Arizona, and was asked about Notre Dame restarting the rivalry with USC in 2030.

Let's just say that Love isn't worried about Notre Dame's chances against the Trojans, even with the game being moved up to the early part of the season.

Jeremiyah Love Talks the Talk for Notre Dame Regarding USC

Love, who was 3-0 against USC during his time at Notre Dame, wasn't about to sound afraid of the Trojans coming back to Notre Dame's schedule in 2030 when asked about it earlier this week.

"I did see that we're going to play them Week 1 now, yes?" asked Love. "They (USC) think that's going to change the outcome of the game - it's not going to change the outcome!"

"They (USC) think that us playing them later in the season is going to give us (Notre Dame) a better chance - like Week One, like it's going to matter."

"USC, like, we're Notre Dame," Love added, "Notre Dame owns USC, not going to lie."

"It's not going to matter - Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 9 - don't make no difference!"

The Notre Dame/USC rivalry is back on the schedule!

Cardinals rookie running back Jeremiyah Love is excited for its return (and more opportunities for the Fighting Irish to "own USC") 😂😂

Full interview: https://t.co/AZWqNb23UA pic.twitter.com/wz7Yt6kQjY

— The Burns & Gambo Show (@BurnsAndGambo) August 5, 2026

Jeremiyah Love Owned USC During Notre Dame Career

As is the case with most greats to ever play for Notre Dame, Love was extrodinarry in his last two games against USC.

Love saw minimal playing time as a true freshman in 2023, getting just three carries in the game against USC, and 56 for the entire regular season.

However, his sophomore and junior years saw not just monster seasons, but huge games against the rival Trojans.

Love rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown while hauling in another 38 yards in receiving yards in 2024, despite leaving the game early due to injury.

In 2025, USC thought it was a good idea to not stack the box against Notre Dame's offense, and Love took advantage, going off for 228 rushing yards, a touchdown, and 37 more receiving yards.

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Thought

I love it (no pun intended).

This is what college football rivalries are supposed to be.

Smack-talk and harmless fun.

In a week that saw countless Southern California watercarriers proclaim that Notre Dame was the one that ran from playing USC, despite the opposite clearly being true, Love stepped up and put little brother in its rightful place.

Notre Dame leads the all-time series with USC, 53-37-5, but has also owned recent history, going 11-4 against the Trojans over the last 15 meetings.

Under Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame has turned into a program that is in the national championship hunt on seemingly an annual basis.

Meanwhile, the Trojans believe they are finally in a place to be able to compete for something bigger than the Las Vegas Bowl, as Lincoln Riley enters his fifth season in Los Angeles.