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Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley leaves the field after the game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

UCLA's Rival USC, College Football Chastised Over Notre Dame Rivalry

Originally posted on UCLA Bruins on SI | By Brock Vierra | Last updated May 25, 2025 3:47 PM ET

UCLA is watching a PR nightmare go down with its rival USC, the Trojans' lack of a series extension with longtime rival Notre Dame and college football's inability to maintain its historic and heralded traditions.

CBS Sports' Josh Pate recently spoke about the issue, highlighting the main points plaguing the sport.

"Lincoln Riley is not wrong," Pate said. "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.

"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 Rileys of the world look at it and say, 'Hey, I'd love to play competitive games, but if that's the way we're going to 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. Because 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. You want to know what's canceled this game since 1924? There was this pesky little World War Two we had, and then there was COVID in 2020, that's it. Can you imagine that?

I get Lincoln Riley wanting to end USC vs Notre Dame. That's why he shouldn't have anything to do with the decision. pic.twitter.com/fuNQx85VCD
— Josh Pate (@JoshPateCFB) May 24, 2025

"War cancels your game, pandemic cancels your game, worried we may not make the playoffs because we're nine and three instead of 10 and two, 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 going to play Notre Dame every year, you're going to play USC every year, and you know what? If you don't like that, then guess what? You don't have to take the job.

"This is partly on college football. Lincoln Riley shouldn't even have this as a concern. You've got to find a way to recalibrate the way you define strength of schedule and the way you factor it into your postseason decision making in college football, because we suck at it right now. It's been that way for a long time."

That's a question UCLA can use to its advantage against its crosstown rival, but the truth is UCLA bears responsibility as well for the destruction of long-time traditions. Its move to the Big Ten triggered conference realignment, and UCLA breaking its series with Cal hurt the maintenance of traditions.

The price of business.