From train rides to Reggie Bush: The best games in the USC-Notre Dame rivalry
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From train rides to Reggie Bush: The best games in the USC-Notre Dame rivalry
"Sure, we already had plenty of heated rivalries when the two schools began playing each other in the mid-1920s, but rivals were neighbors. Harvard vs. Yale. Auburn vs. Georgia. Michigan vs. Ohio State. Missouri vs. Kansas. Notre Dame-USC, on the other hand, required many days on a train at first; it dropped teams off in a completely different part of the world, where they usually had to beat one of the best teams on the planet."
"On Saturday evening in South Bend, the Trojans and Fighting Irish will meet for the 96th time. Notre Dame holds a 52-38-5 edge, though the momentum has swayed back and forth pretty severely through the years -- Notre Dame went 15-3-1 from 1940-61, USC went 12-2-2 from 1967-82, Notre Dame went 12-0-1 from 1983-95, USC went 11-3 from 1996-2009. The Irish have won nine of the last 12 and are favored to make it 10 in 13 this year."
"There is a feeling of foreboding surrounding this game, however, as there aren't any more Trojans-Irish games scheduled moving forward. The only time these rivals haven't met since their first game in 1926 was because of either war (1943-45) or a pandemic (2020), but the series is now in danger because of ... well ... I don't really know, actually."
The Notre Dame–USC rivalry helped nationalize college football by creating a high-profile intersectional matchup requiring long travel and elite competition. The series began in the mid-1920s and has been played almost every year, with only wartime and pandemic interruptions. Notre Dame leads 52-38-5, but dominance has shifted across eras, with pronounced runs by each program. The teams meet for the 96th time with Notre Dame favored after winning nine of the last 12. The future of the series is uncertain despite both coaches expressing a desire to continue the rivalry.
Read at ESPN.com
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