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In a move that corrects a long-standing grievance, Notre Dame and the University of Southern California have officially announced the revival of their football series, adding four early-season matchups spanning 2030 to 2034. The two blueblood programs, whose rivalry dates back a century, will not face each other from this season through 2029, marking an interruption in their historic intersectional competition.
Under the new arrangement, the series will kick off on Labor Day weekend for the first two years, with the Trojans hosting the Fighting Irish at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on August 31, 2030, and Notre Dame returning the favor at Notre Dame Stadium on August 30, 2031. The subsequent games in 2032 and 2033 will occur within the first three weeks of the season, prior to USC's start of Big Ten Conference play.
This scheduling shift, moving away from the traditional late-season USC home game and mid-October Notre Dame home game, was requested by the Trojans. They sought to avoid additional midseason travel after joining the Big Ten. Notre Dame's athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, expressed enthusiasm, stating, "I think it's great for Notre Dame, great for USC and great for college football."
Bevacqua emphasized that the series will maintain its classic home-and-home format, with no neutral-site contests. "We want to play USC in Notre Dame Stadium and they want to play us in L.A. Memorial Coliseum," he said. "And frankly, that's the way it should be."
Key Analysis
The 2030 game will occupy a date originally reserved for Notre Dame's matchup against Indiana, a two-game series that has been canceled at the Hoosiers' request, according to sources. The breakdown in negotiations between USC and Notre Dame last year led to the Fighting Irish filling the scheduling void with a home-and-home series against BYU this year and next. USC, meanwhile, has nonconference games against San Jose State, Fresno State, and Louisiana this season, with future matchups against Nevada, UNLV, and Fresno State in 2027 and 2028.
Historically, Notre Dame and USC have met 96 times since 1926, with the Irish holding a 53-38-5 lead. Notre Dame has won the last three meetings and seven of the last eight. Current coaches Marcus Freeman (Notre Dame) and Lincoln Riley (USC) have respective records of 3-1 and 1-3 in the series. While both programs may field their strongest teams this season, any potential clash would only occur in the College Football Playoff or a non-CFP bowl game.