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Oct 14, 2023; South Bend, Indiana, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley and Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman chat before the game at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

Marcus Freeman Wants USC Trojans on Notre Dame’s Schedule Every Year

Originally posted on USC Trojans on SI | By Nathan Fusco | Last updated May 29, 2025 4:24 PM ET

The historic rivalry between the USC Trojans and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish is currently scheduled to continue in 2025. After that, the future remains uncertain. But if Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman has a say, the Trojans will remain on the schedule for good.

Speaking to a small group of South Bend reporters during a press conference last week, Freeman made his stance on the rivalry clear.

“It’s pretty black and white for me,” Freeman said. “You want my opinion? I want to play them every single year. When? I don’t care. I don’t care when we play them. Start of the season, middle of the season, end of the season — I don’t care. I want to play USC every year because it’s great for college football.”

The current contract between USC and Notre Dame expires after the 2025 season. According to reporting from Sports Illustrated, the Trojans have offered only a one-year extension for 2026, while Notre Dame is pushing for a long-term renewal of the rivalry.

Freeman’s comments reinforce that Notre Dame views this series as more than just tradition. It’s part of the program’s identity.

Notre Dame and USC have met 95 times since the rivalry began in 1926. The only interruptions came during World War II and the 2020 pandemic-shortened season. This fall, they’re set to meet in South Bend on Oct. 128, 2025, continuing a series that has defined generations of college football.

Freeman has been on the sideline for the last four editions of the rivalry. He was Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator for a 31–16 win in 2021, then took over as head coach in 2022. USC won that season’s meeting 38–27 in Los Angeles, but the Irish responded with back-to-back wins in 2023 and 2024, including a 49–35 victory at the Coliseum last November.

NEW: Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman wants to play USC every year:

“It’s pretty black and white for me. You want my opinion? I want to play them every single year.

When? I don’t care. I don’t care when we play them. Start of the season, middle of the season, end of the season — I… pic.twitter.com/Hjf64wumHN
— On3 (@On3sports) May 29, 2025

“Everyone remembers moments from that game that just stick out in my mind,” Freeman said. “Pete [Bevacqua], or Ron [Powlus] or anybody asks me, that’s how I feel. Everybody knows that’s how I feel. But also, I’m not the one dealing with the administrative part of scheduling games. But I think it’s important we continue this rivalry.”

Freeman also pointed to Notre Dame’s national recruiting footprint as another reason to maintain the annual game. The Irish have long recruited players from California and the West Coast, and the trip to Los Angeles every other year serves as a homecoming for many.

“We’re such a national brand,” Freeman said. “We recruit coast to coast. We’ve done a really good job in the state of California, the west coast. More than that, all of the west coast. Hawaii. California. Wyoming. Keep going. It’s important that they understand that we play coast to coast.”

While USC’s move to the Big Ten beginning in 2024 has added challenges to future scheduling, Freeman believes the rivalry remains worth protecting. Even as the Trojans prepare to face Michigan, Oregon, and UCLA in conference play, Notre Dame is making its case that the yearly matchup between the two schools belongs on the national stage.

And it's hard to disagree.