The annual Notre Dame-USC rivalry recreation could possibly be on life help.
On Tuesday, the Combating Irish announced a 12-year regular-season series with Clemson, which can run from the 2027-2038 seasons. That coincides with the final recreation between Notre Dame and USC, which is about for 2026.
In February, USC athletic director Jennifer Cohen spoke with The Athletic concerning the rivalry relationship again to 1926.
Cohen famous that the Trojans are within the expanded Large Ten convention and arguably the nation’s greatest after profitable the previous two nationwide titles. Nevertheless, they won’t have an urge for food for an out-of-conference yearly recreation in opposition to the Combating Irish.
“We’re now enjoying in a convention the place we fly forwards and backwards throughout the nation each different week,” Cohen reasoned. (Gee, possibly USC ought to have thought-about that earlier than it torched the Pac-12.)
“So we stay in conversations with Notre Dame concerning the collection,” Cohen continued. “I believe we’re clear to one another [that] we will proceed to judge what’s greatest, and it is my job to judge what’s greatest for our student-athletes and our program.”
Aside from the 2020 season, which was altered by COVID-19, Notre Dame and USC have performed each season for the reason that finish of World Warfare II.
It makes extra sense for the Trojans to need to discontinue the rivalry. Within the collection’ 95-game historical past, the Irish lead, 52-38-5. They’ve additionally received six of the final seven conferences, together with the previous two by a mixed rating of 97-55.
Notre Dame and Clemson do not have practically as wealthy a historical past. The applications have met eight instances, with the primary in 1977. They’ve performed one another six instances over the past 10 seasons, with the Irish going 2-4 throughout that span.
Whereas it will be disappointing for the Notre Dame-USC rivalry to be placed on maintain following the one centesimal anniversary of their first assembly, it is sensible why the Irish would gravitate towards the Tigers regardless of them being a harder matchup.
Clemson is an ACC energy and made the CFP final season after profitable its convention. In the meantime, USC has by no means made the CFP and has extra dropping seasons (two) than 10-win seasons (one) since 2018.
With the power of schedule a major issue within the Faculty Soccer Playoff committee’s analysis of the nation’s prime groups, Notre Dame ought to profit extra from enjoying Clemson, no matter whether or not it wins or loses (barring a blowout).
It is a disgrace that the budding Notre Dame-Clemson collection might come on the expense of maybe faculty soccer’s greatest out-of-conference rivalry.
