"Riley said USC athletic director Jen Cohen reached out with a proposal earlier this month that Notre Dame almost immediately rejected. "We took Notre Dame at their word that they would play us anytime and anywhere," Riley said. "That proposal was rejected. Not only was it rejected. "Five minutes after we got the call, it was announced that they had scheduled another opponent [ BYU], which I'll give them credit. That might be the fastest scheduling act in college football history.""
"USC has wanted to play Notre Dame and all of its nonleague games in the first few weeks of the season, like most Big Ten teams do. The USC-Notre Dame game has traditionally been played in mid to late October at Notre Dame, or at the end of the regular season at USC. Notre Dame on Dec. 22 added a home-and-home series with BYU, the Big 12 runner-up this season, to fill its final vacancy for 2026 and 2027."
Lincoln Riley said Notre Dame refused a USC proposal to continue the historic rivalry in 2026 and 2027, despite a prior pledge to play "anytime, anywhere." Riley said USC athletic director Jen Cohen reached out with a proposal that Notre Dame almost immediately rejected and then scheduled BYU five minutes later. USC prefers to play nonconference opponents in the first weeks of the season, while the USC-Notre Dame game traditionally occurs in mid-to-late October at Notre Dame or at season end in Los Angeles. Both schools said they will continue working toward restoring the series, but a resumption likely would not occur before 2030.
Read at ESPN.com
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