Notre Dame and USC to renew football rivalry in 2030

Posted August 03, 2026 4:39 pm

By Colleen Kane

The storied Notre Dame-USC football series will resume in 2030 after a four-year hiatus.

The programs announced Monday that they agreed to a four-game, home-and-home series from 2030-2033. Notre Dame will play at USC on Aug. 31, 2030, while the Trojans will visit Notre Dame on Aug. 30, 2031. The remaining games in 2032 and 2033 will be played in the first three weeks of each season.

Notre Dame and USC have met 96 times, with the Irish holding a 53-38-5 advantage, including a 34-24 win in October. It’s Notre Dame’s second-most-played series behind the 98 games played against Navy.

But the schools announced a pause in the series in December after failing to agree on a date for a 2026 game. In a joint statement at the time, the programs said, “The rivalry between our two schools is one of the best in all of sport, and we look forward to meeting again in the future.”

Now, the battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh Trophy will return.

According to reports, the series helps Notre Dame replace a canceled home-and-home series with Indiana in 2030-31.

“USC’s historic rivalry with Notre Dame holds a special place in the history of college football, and we are happy to resume a series that means so much to the entire Trojan Family,” USC athletic director Jen Cohen said in a statement. “It remains important for us to play this game early in the season, as it allows us to schedule competitively with our Big Ten peers and takes into account the health and best interests of our student-athletes and program.”

Both Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman and USC coach Lincoln Riley had expressed their wishes to keep the rivalry going, and Riley reiterated that at Big Ten media days in Chicago last week.

“Nothing’s changed from my vantage point,” Riley said. “We want to play the game. I want to play the game. We would be playing the game had some things come true that were said. Hopefully we get to that point.

“Obviously we want it to happen. I know our fan base wants it to happen. College football wants it to happen.”

Notre Dame, which could be ranked in the preseason Top 5 this year, added a series with BYU to its docket to make up for pausing the USC series, starting with a game in Provo, Utah, on Oct. 17. Among other Irish highlights this season are the season opener against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field on Sept. 6 and games against Miami on Nov. 7 and SMU on Nov. 21 at Notre Dame Stadium.