Best Non-Conference Games Ranked: Notre Dame vs. USC Trojans?

The USC Trojans and Notre Dame Fighting Irish play every year in one of the most historic rivalry games in all of college football. This season, the Trojans will travel to South Bend, Indiana to take on the Fighting Irish on October 18.

According to a recent ranking by Pete Nakos of On3, this October match between USC and Notre Dame is the No. 9 best non-conference matchup for the 2025 college football season.

USC-Notre Dame Game Ranked As No. 9 Best Non-Conference Game For 2025

Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Jordan Faison (6) misses catching a pass against Southern California Trojans cornerback Jacobe Covington (14) during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Pete Nakos ranks next season’s USC vs. Notre Dame game as the ninth best non-conference game in 2025. There have been years in the pst where this would have been ranked as the top non-conference game in all of college football, but USC’s struggles has dropped it down a few notches. Here is Nakos’s list of the top ten non-conference games for next season.

At the top of the list is a battle between two of the big favorites to win the national championship in Texas and Ohio State.

1. Texas at Ohio State - August 30

2. Clemson at South Carolina - November 29

3. LSU at Clemson - August 30

4. Notre Dame at Miami - August 31

5. Michigan at Oklahoma - September 6

6. Alabama at Florida State - August 30

7. Texas A&M at Notre Dame - Septemer 13

8. Florida at Miami - September 20

9. USC at Notre Dame - October 18

10. Illinois at Duke - September 6

The USC Trojans are coming off of a 2024 season where they went 7-6, capping of their season with a Las Vegas Bowl win over the Texas A&M Aggies.

Notre Dame on the other had their best season in quote some time. The Fighting Irish went 11-1 in the regular season, making the College Football Playoff as a No. 7 seed. They proceeded to win their first round game against the Indiana Hoosiers, quarterfinal against the Georgia Bulldogs, and semifinal vs. the Penn State Nittany Lions. The dream for Notre Dame came to an end in a loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the National Championship game.

MORE: Updated Coach Rankings: USC Trojans Coach Lincoln Riley's Surprising Rank

MORE: Chicago Bears' Colston Loveland Reveals First Impression Of Quarterback Caleb Williams

MORE: Five-Star Quarterback Recruit Ryder Lyons New Favorite: USC Trojans Over BYU, Oregon Ducks?

Annual USC and Notre Dame Game To End?

Oct 14, 2023; South Bend, Indiana, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley and Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman chat before the game at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images | Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

Recent reports have came out speculating that the annual transition of the Notre Dame and USC game in the regular season could be coming to an end. These two schools have played each other 95 times dating back to the 1926 season, despite never being in the same conference with each other.

It would be a true shame to see such a historic rivalry with teams at the top of the sport in producing NFL talent, Heisman trophy winners, and National Championships go away. But that is where college football is now with the new format of the College Football Playoffs, NIL, and the transfer portal,.