Notre Dame, USC to renew college football rivalry series beginning in 2030

After a five-year hiatus, Notre Dame and USC will renew their college football rivalry beginning with the 2030 season.

The two programs agreed to a new four-year deal, according to multiple reports. It will begin with the teams playing a Week 1 matchup in Los Angeles and then kicking off the season in South Bend the following season.

USC reportedly preferred to play Notre Dame earlier in the season, before entering Big Ten conference play. The games will be played on Aug. 31, 2030 and Aug. 30, 2031.

The 2030 and 2031 dates opened up for Notre Dame when Indiana reportedly canceled its previously scheduled home-and-home series, The Athletic's Pete Sampson reported. Those games were originally agreed to in 2021, preceding current head coach Curt Cignetti taking over the Hoosiers program and winning the 2025 national championship.

"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 athletics 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," she added. "We are excited for our fans, and we look forward to more memorable matchups and unforgettable games between the Trojans and the Irish."

USC and Notre Dame had previously played annually in a series dating back to 1926. The only times the two teams didn't play during that span were a three-year period during World War II and one year off in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The series ended after the 2025 season when negotiations to schedule future games broke down between the two schools.

Part of the issue was that USC did not want to commit to a multiyear agreement as the College Football Playoff format was still being determined, the Los Angeles Times reported. The Trojans also did not want to play a non-conference road game that required a cross-country trip amid its Big Ten schedule.

In their 96 meetings, Notre Dame has a 53-38-5 record. The Fighting Irish have also won eight of their past 10 matchups with USC, including three of the past four under head coach Marcus Freeman.

The Notre Dame-USC matchup is the second-most-played series in Notre Dame program history, trailing only Notre Dame's series with Navy (98). The Irish are 30-14-1 all time at home against the Trojans.

In their last battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh Trophy, the Fighting Irish defeated the Trojans, 34-24, in South Bend. Notre Dame went on to finish 10-2 and was ranked No. 10 in the season's final AP poll, while USC went 9-4, ranking No. 20.