In a move that has sent shockwaves through the college football world, one of the sport’s most hallowed traditions—the annual clash between USC and Notre Dame—is officially on life support. The feud erupted publicly when USC head coach Lincoln Riley took a series of unprecedented shots at the Fighting Irish, accusing them of “backing out” of their word and effectively ending the rivalry for the next two years. The fallout has been swift and bitter, with Notre Dame legend Sheldon Day and “The Coach JB Show” analysts calling out Riley for what they describe as a “selfish” attempt to save his struggling tenure in Los Angeles.
The controversy began when Riley claimed that USC Athletic Director Jen Cohen approached Notre Dame with a proposal to extend the series, only to have it rejected immediately. “We took Notre Dame at their word that they would play us anytime, anywhere,” Riley stated, his frustration palpable. “That proposal was rejected… five minutes later, it was announced they had scheduled another opponent.” Riley’s narrative is clear: Notre Dame is the “liar” in this scenario, failing to live up to the flexible scheduling their independent status supposedly allows.
However, from the perspective of Notre Dame’s favorite sons, the story looks very different. Former All-American Sheldon Day didn’t hold back in his assessment of Riley’s motivations. “Lincoln won’t be there long enough,” Day quipped, suggesting that Riley’s seat in LA is getting dangerously hot. Day argued that the Irish have dominated the rivalry recently—winning eight of the last nine meetings—and questioned why Notre Dame would suddenly “fear” a team they have consistently beaten. “It sounds like we want to play somebody who is at our level,” Day added with a sting.
The analysts on “The Coach JB Show” were even more biting in their critique. Coach JB himself labeled Riley’s comments as “bullshit,” arguing that Riley has “no attachment to LA” and doesn’t understand the historical weight of a rivalry that dates back to 1926. JB suggested that if USC truly wanted the game, it would have been finalized. Instead, Riley is navigating a move to the Big 10, a conference that offers a far more brutal weekly gauntlet than the Pac-12. By removing Notre Dame from the schedule, Riley significantly eases his path to a potential 12-team playoff berth—a necessity for a coach who many in Los Angeles already want out.
“This is a selfish move by Lincoln,” the show’s co-hosts agreed. “He knows he has to do something major in the next two years. Not having Notre Dame on the schedule enhances his ability to make the playoff.” The move is seen by some as a calculated risk: sacrifice a legendary rivalry to inflate a win-loss record and secure job safety.
The debate also touched on a deeper, more systemic issue within college football: the lack of leadership from the NCAA. Coach JB lamented the loss of historic games like Michigan-Notre Dame and now USC-Notre Dame, calling it a “mockery” and a “slap in the face” to the history of the game. With the transfer portal creating “fair-weather fanbases” and rosters that change overnight, these legacy rivalries are the only thing keeping the soul of the sport alive. “No new coach or AD should ever have the power to take away a tradition like this,” JB asserted.
Adding fuel to the fire are rumors that the scheduling breakdown might be linked to internal uncertainty at Notre Dame, specifically regarding head coach Marcus Freeman. Some suggest the Irish were hesitant to lock in a high-profile rivalry game while Freeman’s future was being questioned amidst NFL interest. Regardless of the reason, the result remains the same: a scheduling hole that many fear will be filled with a “lesser” opponent, further diluting the strength of schedule that the playoff committee supposedly values.
The timing of this fallout is particularly “telling” given the recent departure of USC Defensive Coordinator D’Anton Lynn to Penn State—his alma mater. For many observers, Lynn’s exit is a sign of a “sinking ship” at USC. If top-tier coordinators are fleeing for lateral moves and the head coach is publically blaming rivals for his scheduling woes, the “Aura” of USC football is clearly fading.
As it stands, the 2026 and 2027 seasons will lack the iconic clash of the gold helmets. While Riley hopes this move will give him the breathing room to conquer the Big 10, the “court of public opinion” in Los Angeles is already handing down a verdict. To the fans and the legends who built these programs, this isn’t just a scheduling conflict—it’s a betrayal of the game’s history. As Sheldon Day put it, Notre Dame is “standing on business,” while USC appears to be running from it. The tragedy, of course, is that the fans are the ones left watching the clock run out on one of the greatest spectacles in American sports.
