Notre Dame Adds BYU Home-and-Home Amidst Breakdown with USC

Liam Gaudet
5 hours ago
3 min read

Many were hopeful that USC and Notre Dame would be able to reach a mutually agreeable solution to continue their storied rivalry prior to the 2026 season. Unfortunately, talks have broken down, with a disagreement on when the game was to be played at the forefront of the conversation. Now, the Irish have added BYU, a formidable BIG 12 title contender, in place of the Trojans.

Photo by Notre Dame Athletics

There had been plenty of rumblings surrounding this rivalry game and its potential to end following the Trojans' move to the BIG 10 in 2024. Lincoln Riley had often maligned the gruelling travel regime for a West Coast team playing Midwest opponents throughout the course of the season. And although nothing had been scheduled beyond this season's installment, fans on both sides were hopeful that eventually an agreement could be reached that would keep one of the best rivalries in college football around for the foreseeable future.

Unfortunately, the sad reality came to a head earlier today. Ultimately, neither side was able to reach an agreement on when to play the game in 2026. USC wanted to push the game to the start of the year, citing the CFP committee's tendency to punish losses that occur later in the season. Notre Dame wanted to keep the game scheduled on the basis that it already had been. This rift in scheduling ideology is reportedly what has led to the series not being continued. The silver lining, however, is that both administrations are working toward a possible resurgence in 2030. USC and Notre Dame have played every season since 1926, except during World War II and the covid season of 2020. Notre Dame won the latest installment 34-24 in South Bend this season, and the Jewelled Shillelagh will remain in their possession. As it stands, Notre Dame leads the all-time rivalry 51-37-5.

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In place of USC, Notre Dame has added BYU to the schedule in 2026 and 2027. The Cougars are coming off of one of their most memorable seasons in recent history, with an 11-2 mark before their upcoming Bowl Game against Georgia Tech. BYU was one of the teams contending with Notre Dame for the last playoff seeds before ultimately being left out after losing to Texas Tech in their conference championship game.

Notre Dame leads the all-time series against BYU 5-2 (7-2 including vacated wins in 2012, 2013). Their most recent matchup took place in Las Vegas in 2022 as part of Notre Dame's annual "Shamrock Series". Notre Dame won the contest 28-20. The upcoming series will likely feature a bit of bad blood, as Notre Dame opted out of their bowl game this season, which would have likely placed it in the Pop Tart Bowl against BYU.

At the end of the day, it's tragic that one of the more storied and established rivalries in the sport has taken a hit due to the chaos that is modern-day college football. Although this likely won't be the last time USC is on the schedule (hopefully), it's still a massive hit to the fans on both sides, and fans of college football in general. The history and pageantry of this rivalry are part of what makes this sport so special. The Irish might look to add another home-and-home in 2028 and 2029 before hopefully reconciling with USC and getting the game back by 2030.

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