Storied series closes chapter

After talks fail to keep rivalry going, USC and Notre Dame nix game for 2026

- RYAN KARTJE

A CENTURY-OLD matchup between USC and Notre Dame will pause after the sides couldn't agree on a scheduling change.

One of college football's longest-lasting and most storied rivalries will be taking an indefinite break starting in 2026.

After months of negotiations and public posturing, USC and Notre Dame failed to reach an agreement to continue their rivalry series.

"USC and Notre Dame recognize how special our rivalry is to our fans, our teams, and college football, and our institutions will continue working towards bringing back The Battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh," the schools said in a joint statement Monday. “The rivalry between our two schools is one of the best in all of sport, and we look forward to meeting again in the future.”

Discussions between the rivals broke down in recent weeks, shortly after the College Football Playoff field was announced, a person familiar with negotiations not authorized to speak publicly told The Times.

In the wake of Notre Dame being left out of the 12-team field, Yahoo reported that College Football Playoff officials came to an agreement with the school in March 2024 that assured the Irish of a playoff berth if they were ranked among the top 12 at season's end starting in 2026. That agreement, if applied this year, would have meant slotting Notre Dame in the field over Miami, which defeated the Irish to open the season.

The two schools nearly announced a continuation of the series around the time of their October matchup in South Bend, Ind. A person familiar with the negotiations told The Times that USC was ready then to compromise and stick with the rivalry's usual cadence over the next two seasons, with Notre Dame coming to the Coliseum in 2026.