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We already saw the Indiana Hoosiers' game against Michigan State get delayed due to weather during Week 8 in college football. And now it looks like the huge rivalry game between USC and Notre Dame in South Bend could get delayed.
Before the game was set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET, the weekly player walk where fans get to greet the Irish was cancelled due to lightning in the area.
Kickoff is still slated to take place later this evening, but there's a good chance we could see weather interrupt this game as well.
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USC vs. Notre Dame weather delay updates
At 4:45 p.m., Notre Dame's official account on X stated that the weekly Victory Walk with players and fans was cancelled due to lightning in the area:
Due to lightning in the area, the Victory March (Notre Dame Player Walk) will not take place today.
— University of Notre Dame (@NotreDame) October 18, 2025A bit later, the school announced that although the gates to the stadium were set to open at 6 p.m., fans were not allowed to sit in the stands for their safety. Instead, the school informed fans to seek shelter inside the stadium, as well as other on-campus buildings:
While the gates of Notre Dame Stadium will open at 6 p.m., lightning prevents us from allowing fans in the stands.
We encourage fans to enter the Stadium and shelter in the concourse, or in the following campus buildings: pic.twitter.com/cAhJXHrMxI
Even well before the game was slated to kick off, the weather looked quite wet and stormy:
Greetings from Notre Dame. It is dark. It is stormy. And there will be football (hopefully uninterrupted 🤞). ☘️✌️ pic.twitter.com/iJ1OEKTMxS
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) October 18, 2025Current status: pic.twitter.com/gILWDZJROA
— University of Notre Dame (@NotreDame) October 18, 2025USC is looking for its third-straight victory over the Trojans in this rivalry series, which started in 1926. A win over No. 20 USC would also be a big boost for the Irish's playoff hopes, as the Trojans are one of the few remaining ranked opponents left on their schedule.
Per NCAA rules, contests need to be delayed or must stop if lightning is spotted in a six-mile radius of the stadium. The game cannot be resumed, meaning teams cannot return to the field, unless 30 minutes have passed since the last lightning strike. The clock resets with each lightning strike in the area.
We'll update this story with more weather updates as they come in. One thing's for sure is that both offenses may not want to throw the ball a ton if conditions remain the same.
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