Looks like the end for the intersectional matchup, and why not?

ND makes money off the series. ND's recruiting benefits from the series.

USC gets a jeweled stick if it wins. 🤪 A B1G SC does not need another trip east every other season.

SC offered to compromise and continue the series if the game was played earlier in the year at a neutral site. Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas is what SC offered as a neutral venue.

https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football/breaking-news/article/sources-notre-dame-usc-rivalry-series-ending-next-year-as-irish-finalize-2-year-deal-with-byu-165245493.html

SC wants to play the game in September, not middle/late in the Big Ten portion of the schedule.

Notre Dame wants to play it late in the season because most years USC will be ranked, and Notre Dame wants a ranked game on the resume late in the season as the CFP seeds are being announced. This year, after Sep. 13, they had two ranked games: USC and Pitt. With a partial ACC schedule, they are nervous about not having a ranked opponent late. They saw what happened to Miami when the last half of the Hurricanes schedule became weak.

They both simply have different scheduling needs. Neither wants to compromise.

I don’t care much about Notre Dame or USC, but I do hate to see traditional rivalry games come to an end.

4 hours ago, HDuck said:

SC wants to play the game in September, not middle/late in the Big Ten portion of the schedule.

Notre Dame wants to play it late in the season because most years USC will be ranked, and Notre Dame wants a ranked game on the resume late in the season as the CFP seeds are being announced. This year, after Sep. 13, they had two ranked games: USC and Pitt. With a partial ACC schedule, they are nervous about not having a ranked opponent late. They saw what happened to Miami when the last half of the Hurricanes schedule became weak.

They both simply have different scheduling needs. Neither wants to compromise.

The biggest issue and ridiculous problem is that ND automatically gets into the CFP if they only have 2 losses and are ranked in the top 12 starting next season. Seeing that they don't play anyone, they would be a bid stealer. For example, ND would not have been left out this year. The Committee ranked them 10th.

Why on Earth would USC help ND by improving their strength of schedule- which might be crucial to being in the top 12 with 2 losses? What if ND already had two losses and played USC, who is trying to be ranked in the top 10, and ND takes away SC's spot at that 10th spot? No thanks. ND can play nobody and hopefully not get ranked highly, especially if they lose one or two games.

Edited 8 hours ago8 hr by 2002duck

Not that I like agreeing with USC but yeah, Notre Dame's absolute refusal to join a conference, even out their schedules home and away, take advantage of its notoriety and tradition to artificially place itself in an advantaged position for post season play, that no other teams get the same consideration for (well maybe a few SEC teams).

It is a shame to see another college football tradition fall by the wayside because of the amounts of money involved in letting those traditions die. Notre Dame will continue to "position" itself until they finally agree to joining a conference to ensure they remain the highest earner in whatever conference they eventually, grace their presence with.

Until that happens (2035?), ND will be the "thorn in the side" of NFL-lite and will remain so until ND can be assured of preferential treatment to artificially boost their image so as to stay relevant in this new age of NIL, transfer portal, and high stakes program positioning.

I don't have to like it but it is what it is.

Go Ducks.

Two things I want to be rectified before next year's playoff.

Put the best 12, 16, or whatever number in. Seed them correctly, and don't give the higher seeded team a road game against a lower seeded opponent. Like Ohio State would've gotten, if Texas A&M would've won.

Don't give any guaranteed spots to P6/ or Notre Dame. If they don't merit a ranking, based off their wins, and loss record. Don't put them in because of arbitrary language. That means Notre Dame has to play at least ten teams from a P4 league. They have to have good wins, and have them ranked in the top twelve range.

(I don't like a three loss team from the SEC or B1G either, but tbh those teams are still going to be more deserving than a two loss AAC, or one loss Sun Belt program, with zero P4 wins.)

If the P6 doesn't have an undefeated program, with at least two P4 wins, they don't qualify. You have to do what Cincy did in 2021, or UCF did in 2017. You have to do what Boise State did in 2000's-2010's.

Notre Dame doesn't have to join a league, but they have to pay a competitive tag for not being in one. They get all the playoff shares to themselves, and all the television revenue from their NBC deal. That's great, but USC, Michigan, Ohio State, and every other 'Blueblood' that you want to play, won't play you on your terms anymore. You have to budge, you have to move. Those programs don't control nine out of twelve games. Those programs have big in conference rivalries in November, while you've been feasting on turkey legs.

USC isn't going to play Oregon, and Notre Dame in back to back weeks.

Notre Dame just needs to join a conference. Even make a short term deal with the ACC and reevaluate after 5 years.

If they were in the ACC this year they probably would have won the conference and then be in the playoff over Miami.

Then playing USC earlier in the year doesn't effect their playoff chances as much.

ND has no reason at the moment to join a conference.

This however, might be the first domino towards changing that. I think they’re going to run into serious scheduling challenges once legitimate programs fully realize there is no advantage to scheduling a difficult OOC opponent. ND is going to start only attracting teams that need the exposure that comes from playing ND, and playing the UNLV’s of the world 12 times a year might start to bite them in the butt.

I think they’re going to be relegating themselves to G6 status schedule wise.

As to 3 loss teams in the field, get used to it. With a 16-team field and 9-conference game schedules across the board, I’m guessing a quarter of the field will have 3 losses next year. Just taking the straight up top-16 this year would have had 3 teams with 3 losses in the field.

Edited 23 minutes ago23 min by JabbaNoBargain

Smart move by USC.