Notre Dame Needs to Let Go: Why It’s Time to Move On From USC

Have you ever been in a relationship that needed to end, and when it finally did, did you drop the classic, "It's not you, it's me" line?

The time has come for Notre Dame to break up with USC after nearly a century-long rivalry. However, in this case, "It's not me, it's YOU!".

USC Athletic Director Updates Status of Notre Dame Series

On Thursday, USC athletic director Jennifer Cohen updated the masses on the latest news regarding the Notre Dame rivalry. In her monthly newsletter, Cohen stated that:

“USC is the only team in the Big Ten to play a nonconference road game after Week 4 in either of the past 2 seasons. USC is also the only team to play a nonconference game after Week 4 in both seasons,” Cohen said in her statement. “Intentionally making our road to the CFP significantly more difficult than our Big Ten peers does not align with our goal to win championships.”

Cohen noted that USC will continue to “embrace challenging matchups” by scheduling one Power Four opponent in the nonconference each season, and brought up Notre Dame without actually saying its name:

“If that opponent is a rival with whom we share a long and storied tradition, all the better,” Cohen said.

USC Has Gotten Away from What Made it Great

Notre Dame and USC battle i — Nov 26, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; A general overall view of helmets at the line of scrimmage as Notre Dame Fighting Irish offensive lineman Zeke Correll (52) snaps the ball against the Southern California Trojans in the second half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Notre Dame fans have always disliked USC, and Trojans fans have never thought highly of Notre Dame. However, the respect for each other's programs remained despite the disdain the rivalry brought.

Throughout almost all of its history, USC hasn't been scared to play anyone. It built itself by playing a national schedule, as well as those from the Pac 8, Pac 10, and eventually Pac 12. But that all appears to be lost now.

Gone are the days of USC playing a full conference schedule and doing whatever it can to get the likes of Alabama or another power on the schedule, as well as an annual date against Notre Dame.

Did I mention that those schedules happened when a team could almost always afford only one loss to have a chance at the national title?

USC has no interest in anything of the sort anymore. What made USC a great football program gets ripped out a little more by Cohen and head coach Lincoln Riley, with each day that passes.

Cohen mentions that Big Ten teams don't play out-of-conference games after the first month, but did she ever look nationally?

Clemson always closes the year with South Carolina. Georgia always closes with Georgia Tech. Florida and Florida State.

The list goes on, but you get the point.

Soft.

Notre Dame Travel Compared to USC Travel

For as long as Notre Dame and USC have played, the two have traveled two-thirds of the way across the country to meet each other. USC would come to Notre Dame in mid-October in odd years, and Notre Dame would head to USC to close the regular season in even years.

The trip to Los Angeles would often be made by Notre Dame right after it had just made a big trip:

In 2024, Notre Dame headed west to close the year at USC one week after playing in New York.

In 2018, Notre Dame closed the year at USC again, one week after playing in New York.

In 2012, Notre Dame closed the year at USC two weeks after playing at Boston College.

And in 2010, Notre Dame closed the year with back-to-back trips to New York and Los Angeles again.

It has to be a miracle that Notre Dame wound up in the BCS National Championship Game or College Football Playoff in three of those four mentioned seasons.

Again, this is about USC looking for excuses and getting away from itself.

Why Does USC Seemingly Love Lincoln Riley So Much?

USC has been what the kids call "mid" for a while now. Really, if you take out the corrupt years under Pete Carroll from 2001-2009, USC has been a shell of a blueblood for the better part of the last 45 years.

Lincoln Riley was hired following the 2021 season and we're all still waiting for the Trojans to re-emerge as a national threat.

The College Football Playoff has been around since 2014 and USC is yet to make one. Barring an upset at Oregon next week, that will again be the case this season.

USC football should have higher expectations than the Holiday or Las Vegas Bowl, but that's almost certainly the kind of game the Trojans will again play in this postseason.

Yet, there goes USC - continuing to hand the keys to car to Riley.

It's Time for Notre Dame to Just Move On

There is this perceived fear out there that Notre Dame won't be able to schedule big games in the coming years. It's clearly not true and is brought up by those who simply want Notre Dame to lose its independence, because what continues to happen tells a different story.

Notre Dame already has a 12-year series set up with Clemson, who is having a down year but has been among the top-three powers in the sport over the last dozen years.

Alabama, Texas, Michigan, and Florida are just some of the powerhouse programs Notre Dame already has home-and-home series scheduled with in coming years.

Now add in Auburn, who just agreed to a home-and-home with Notre Dame, even going as far as to travel to South Bend in the middle of the SEC season.

I loved this rivalry but I am so sick of this discourse. go play someone else, I really don't give a shit about this anymore. https://t.co/j7x1ngKy6a
— Mike Golic Jr (@mikegolicjr) November 14, 2025

Notre Dame would have no problem filling USC with what would probably end up being a more worthy foe on a regular basis.

Sure, losing the history would stink, as next year will mark 100 years since Notre Dame and USC first met on the gridiron.

However, if the person you've been with seemingly forever entirely stops being at all that person you fell in love with, why would you stick around?

I'll miss the rivalry and it will take getting used to not seeing USC on the schedule, but Lincoln Riley and Jen Cohen's USC is nowhere near the USC any of us grew up watching anyway.

Again, it's not me, it's YOU...SC.