USC coach Lincoln Riley blasts Notre Dame after iconic rivalry comes to bitter end

The blame game is alive and well when it comes to the storied USC and Notre Dame football rivalry.

Speaking publicly ahead of USC’s Valero Alamo Bowl game vs. TCU on Tuesday, Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley shed some light with some pointed words at Notre Dame following the conclusion of the rivalry for the foreseeable future. 

“It’s pretty simple. We both worked for months to try to find a solution,” Riley said. “Notre Dame was very vocal about the fact that they would play us anytime, anywhere. Obviously them not having a conference affiliation gives them an ability to be pretty flexible with their scheduling.

Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts after the game against the UCLA Bruins at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

“We went back, Jen Cohen, our A.D., went back to Notre Dame roughly a couple of weeks ago with a scenario and a proposal that would extend the series for the next two years. That proposal was rejected. Not only was it rejected, five minutes after we got the call, it was announced that they had scheduled another opponent, which I’ll give them credit. That might be the fastest scheduling act in college football history.”

It was confirmed on Dec. 22 that the series would be coming to an end for the foreseeable future as the two programs were unable to reach an agreement on an extension for the 2026-2027 season series.

While USC is still looking to fill out its schedule for the next few seasons, Notre Dame pivoted away from the Trojans by agreeing to a home-and-home series with BYU, the Big 12 runner-ups for the 2026-2027 seasons.

One of the most storied rivalries in college football history, the Trojans and Fighting Irish have played 96 times since 1926, when the first game was played. They’ve missed four games during that time: 1943-45 due to World War II and in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

USC trails the all-time series 36-30-3 after falling 34-24 to the Fighting Irish earlier this year. 

“We took Notre Dame at their word that they would play us anytime, anywhere,” Riley said. “Had Notre Dame lived up to their word and played us anytime, anywhere, we would be playing in the next two years, and looking ahead after that, hopefully continuing the series.”