The annual Notre Dame-USC rivalry sport may very well be on life help.
On Tuesday, the Combating Irish announced a 12-year regular-season series with Clemson, which is able to run from the 2027-2038 seasons. That coincides with the final sport between Notre Dame and USC, which is ready for 2026.
In February, USC athletic director Jennifer Cohen spoke with The Athletic in regards to the rivalry relationship again to 1926.
Cohen famous that the Trojans are within the expanded Massive Ten convention and arguably the nation’s greatest after successful the previous two nationwide titles. Nonetheless, they won’t have an urge for food for an out-of-conference yearly sport towards the Combating Irish.
“We’re now enjoying in a convention the place we fly backwards and forwards throughout the nation each different week,” Cohen reasoned. (Gee, perhaps USC ought to have thought of that earlier than it torched the Pac-12.)
“So we stay in conversations with Notre Dame in regards to the collection,” Cohen continued. “I believe we’re clear to one another [that] we’ll proceed to guage what’s greatest, and it is my job to guage what’s greatest for our student-athletes and our program.”
Apart from the 2020 season, which was altered by COVID-19, Notre Dame and USC have performed each season because the finish of World Battle II.
It makes extra sense for the Trojans to wish to discontinue the rivalry. Within the collection’ 95-game historical past, the Irish lead, 52-38-5. They’ve additionally gained six of the final seven conferences, together with the previous two by a mixed rating of 97-55.
Notre Dame and Clemson do not have practically as wealthy a historical past. The applications have met eight instances, with the primary in 1977. They’ve performed one another six instances over the past 10 seasons, with the Irish going 2-4 throughout that span.
Whereas it could be disappointing for the Notre Dame-USC rivalry to be placed on maintain following the a centesimal anniversary of their first assembly, it is smart why the Irish would gravitate towards the Tigers regardless of them being a more durable matchup.
Clemson is an ACC energy and made the CFP final season after successful its convention. In the meantime, USC has by no means made the CFP and has extra shedding seasons (two) than 10-win seasons (one) since 2018.
With the energy of schedule a major issue within the Faculty Soccer Playoff committee’s analysis of the nation’s high groups, Notre Dame ought to profit extra from enjoying Clemson, no matter whether or not it wins or loses (barring a blowout).
It is a disgrace that the budding Notre Dame-Clemson collection might come on the expense of maybe faculty soccer’s greatest out-of-conference rivalry.
