Notre Dame–USC football rivalry

The Notre Dame–USC football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team of the University of Notre Dame and USC Trojans football team of the University of Southern California, customarily played on the Saturday following Thanksgiving Day when the game is in Los Angeles or on the second or third Saturday of October when the game is in South Bend, Indiana.

The rivalry began in 1926 and is considered one of the fiercest in college football. The rivalry game has been played every year from 1926 to the present, with the exception of 1943 to 1945, when the game was cancelled during World War II, and in 2020, when the Pac-12 Conference cancelled all non-conference games in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic therefore interrupted a streak of 73 consecutive years in which the game had been played. The 2021 matchup marked the first time in series history that two consecutive games between the rivals were played in South Bend, although the games were not played in consecutive years.

Notre Dame and USC have been among the most successful programs in college football, with the schools having won a combined 24 national championships and 15 Heisman Trophies (8 for USC—the most in college football—and 7 for Notre Dame) through the 2023 season. Moreover, both schools have fielded a high number of Consensus All-Americans (102 for Notre Dame—the most in college football—and 82 for USC), College Football Hall of Famers (46 from Notre Dame and 43 from USC), and Pro Football Hall of Famers (13 from each). The rivals account for the highest numbers of players selected in the NFL Draft of any school; Notre Dame has had 546 players taken, and USC has had 530. No rivalry in college football accounts for as many combined honors.

The teams play for the Jeweled Shillelagh, a trophy that goes home with the winning team each year. Notre Dame leads the all-time series 50–37–5 and also leads 35–30–3 since the introduction of the trophy. Despite many close games, the series has seen dominant runs by both sides: USC went 12–2–2 from 1967 through 1982, Notre Dame went undefeated (11–0–1) from 1983 through 1995, and USC went undefeated (8–0) from 2002 through 2009. However, while Notre Dame and USC have defeated the other in landmark games enabling one of them to move on to a national title, the two teams have also played spoiler to each other several times.

Notre Dame: No. 1, undefeated Notre Dame beat No. 2 undefeated USC in the Coliseum en route to the national title in 1988. The Irish also spoiled Trojan title campaigns by giving them their first loss in the last game of the season in 1947 and 1952, as well as handing them a first loss in 1927, 1973 and 1995. They also tied No. 1 ranked USC in 1968, 21–21, knocking them down to No. 2 behind Ohio State (who then beat USC in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in the Rose Bowl). The Irish tied the Trojans again in 1969, 14–14, the only blemish in USC's 10–0–1 season.

USC: spoiled Irish title hopes in 1938, 1964, 1970, 1980, and tied them in 1948 (after Michigan already had been voted No. 1 by the AP Poll). Each game came in the final week of the season. USC also spoiled Irish campaigns in 1931 and 1971.

Although the game is played in Los Angeles in even numbered years, it was not part of Fox's Pac-12 Conference football package. Currently the games played in Los Angeles fall under the TV contract of the Big Ten Conference and could air on CBS, NBC, FS1, peacock or BTN (in practice there would be almost no circumstance where the game wouldn’t air on CBS or NBC); Although Fox holds primary rights TV rights to the Big Ten Conference they do not have the opportunity to air this game as they chose to air the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry game usually played on the same date as their Big Ten game for the week. In odd-numbered years, when the game is played in South Bend, it is broadcast on NBC as part of its coverage of Notre Dame's home schedule.