USC football is thinking about the possible discontinuation of the Notre Dame series. It shouldn’t be so worried about this arrangement for a lot of reasons.
One is this: With the College Football Playoff almost certain to expand to 16 teams for 2026 and beyond, that’s four additional spots compared to the 12-team playoff field we had last year and will have in 2025. With more spots on the board, why should USC be more worried — not less — about making the playoff?
Of course there is a bread crumb of truth in USC’s thought process: Having an easier game than Notre Dame could be the difference between 10-2 and 9-3, which might indeed be the difference between making and missing the playoff field. We can all understand that. However, with the field moving from 12 to 16, a 9-3 team probably gets in at the back end of the playoff field anyway. Should USC be worried that it will be 8-4 instead of 9-3? Should USC be staying up late at night — not getting a peaceful sleep — because it is concerned about not getting that No. 15 seed in a 16-team playoff?
Come on. This is not how USC should ever think about its football program. “We really need that No. 15 seed instead of getting left out at No. 18!” What? That is not a thought process or attitude one should ever associate with USC Trojan football, where the expected standard is being nationally elite and relevant and competing for championships on an annual basis.
If discontinuing 100 years of Notre Dame college football tradition is based on wanting to be 10-2 instead of 9-3, that’s not a convincing reason. The sacrifice — and the loss of a cherished college football ritual — is not worth the potential payoff. USC, if it does give up on the Notre Dame football rivalry, will be ducking out of a hallowed and revered series for what is actually a minor reward. The prize ought to be a lot bigger if USC should even think about breaking up one of college football’s most famous marriages.
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