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Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley and Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman shake hands after the game at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

College Football Analyst's Unique Opinion On USC Trojans, Notre Dame Rivalry

Originally posted on USC Trojans on SI | By Charlie Viehl | Last updated May 25, 2025 3:07 PM ET

The historic rivalry between the USC Trojans and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish has become a hot topic of conversation with the contract between the two schools ending after the 2025 season. According to reports from Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde, USC prefers one-year extensions whereas Notre Dame is hoping for a more long-term plan.

On the latest episode of "Josh Pate's College Football Show," CBS Sports' Josh Pate offered a unique take on the situation. While many have criticized Trojans coach Lincoln Riley and athletic director Jen Cohen for putting the rivalry between USC and Notre Dame at risk, Pate believes that the broader issue lies within college football as a whole, especially the sport's postseason.

"Lincoln Riley is not wrong. That's why I'm not even here to trash him or USC. It is certainly a pathetic mentality, but you know what? He ought not even have reason to have it. You may be thinking, 'Certainly there's something in the mechanism of strength of schedule measurement to calibrate for this in college football,'" said Pate. "You would think so, but there is this rogue army of casuals who run around screaming, 'You are what your record says you are,' to the point where it kind of becomes a reality."

"The Lincoln Riley's of the world look at it and say, 'Hey, I'd love to play competitive games, but if that's the way we're gonna think about this, why should I?' The answer is he shouldn't. Here's the follow up. He shouldn't have the choice, the AD at USC shouldn't have the option. The president of USC shouldn't have the option, the mayor of Los Angeles shouldn't have the option, cause those come and go. We've had dozens of head coaches and athletic directors at these respective institutions, and yet they've played this game 95 times since 1924," Pate continued.

As Pate mentions, the game between USC and Notre Dame is one of the oldest traditions in college football, a sport that has is currently experiencing a number of changes. With additions like the transfer portal and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), the Trojans, UCLA Bruins, Washington Huskies, and Oregon Ducks, have also joined the Big Ten while the Pac-12 essentially fell apart.

The latest changes in the sport are also affecting the postseason: what was originally the BCS turned into the College Football Playoff, and the criteria for making the postseason is becoming less strict.

"Can you imagine that war cancels your game, pandemic cancels your game, 'worried we may not make the playoffs because we're 9-3 instead of 10-2' cancels the game. One of those is not like the other. Pathetic. I'm not even bagging on Lincoln Riley. He shouldn't be in position to influence it. It should be there and when you take the job at USC, or you take the job at Notre Dame, as the AD or as the head coach, you should take it with the understanding you're gonna play Notre Dame every year. You're gonna play USC every year," said Pate.

In the October of 2025, USC is scheduled to travel to Notre Dame. Will it be the last time that fans get to see the Trojans face the Fighting Irish in the regular season?

This article first appeared on USC Trojans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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