Lincoln Riley Has Awkward Response About Potential Discontinuation of Iconic Rivalry

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ryan Harris | Last updated Jun 4, 2025 3:09 PM ET

The USC Trojans and Notre Dame Fighting Irish have had one of the longest-standing traditions in college football with them matching up every year since 1926, besides years in World War II and COVID.

Now, one of the biggest rivalries in college football may not be playing in 2026, as there has not been a scheduled meeting between the two prestigious schools.

Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley was asked about the situation, and his response was awkward given how big of a rivalry this is.

"We will (comment) at the appropriate time," said Riley when asked if he wanted to speak on the matter.

One of the biggest topics of conversations in the offseason of this college football season has been the potential discontinuation of this rivalry, and practically a 'no comment' response from Riley has fans confused.

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman had a great reaction, and has said he wants to play against USC every year due to how good the rivalry is for college football.

"That rivalry, USC-Notre Dame, before I even got to Notre Dame, everybody watched that game. Everyone remembers moments from that game that just stick out in my mind," said Freeman.

Riley has been under serious scrutiny recently, and a caller on "The Paul Finebaum Show" asked if the Trojans could regain their college football dominance, to which he had a harsh response.

"I do believe USC is capable because there is so much to offer there. They just happen to have a fraud as their head coach," said Finebaum.

The Trojans head coach will have every ability to prove Finebaum wrong as he has the No. 1 recruiting class in the country in 2026. All that is left for that season is what will happen to one of the best rivalries in all of sports.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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