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ESPN's Pat McAfee, left, points toward \"Touchdown Jesus\" while picking Notre Dame to beat Ohio State during \"College GameDay\" Saturday at Notre Dame. Austin Hough / South Bend Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK

Could Notre Dame Host ESPN's College GameDay for the USC Showdown?

Originally posted on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI
By Nick Shepkowski | Last updated Oct 9, 2025 4:45 PM ET

It's crazy to think, but a week from now, we could be in the final hours of the Notre Dame-USC rivalry as we've known it for nearly a century. The historic college football rivalry isn't guaranteed to happen again at all past this year, meaning next Saturday could be the final regular season meeting between programs for the forseeable future.

With the history of the two, one would think college football diehards would want to make the most of this potential last dance. With that in mind, could Notre Dame and USC possibly play host to ESPN College GameDay next weekend?

It's possible, but some help is probably needed for it to occur.

First Up: Notre Dame and USC Must Take Care of Business

Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Before anyone can think much GameDay coming to South Bend next week, both Notre Dame and USC have to take care of business this week.

Notre Dame takes on North Carolina State this week and is roughly a three-touchdown pick. The Irish feel like a pretty safe pick to get through the weekend with a win, while things are a bit more difficult for USC.

The one-loss Trojans host Michigan on Saturday and currently sit as a 2.5-point favorite in that game. Michigan handed USC its first loss last season in Ann Arbor, a 27-24 Wolverines triumph.

Notre Dame and USC both having two losses would essentially end any hope of GameDay coming to town.

SEC Contenders for College GameDay Next Week

Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A couple of potential top-12 matchups between SEC rivals take place next week, and would figure to be the favorites to host College GameDay.

No. 4 Ole Miss travels to No. 10 Georgia while No. 12 Tennessee takes a trip to No. 8 Alabama next week. Those seem to be the favorites, but one team from each game certainly faces a tough test this week.

Ole Miss should have a cakewalk against Washington State, but Georgia faces a tough test at Auburn. Tennessee takes on Arkansas this week, but Alabama has to travel to unbeaten Missouri.

If Georgia and Alabama both fall in tough road environments, you'd have to figure Notre Dame and USC have a great chance of hosting the show.

Also going in Notre Dame and USC's favor, is that both Georgia and Alabama have recently hosted the show.

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Takeaway:

ESPN has turned into an SEC propaganda machine in recent years, and my viewing of College GameDay has taken a hit because of it. That said, you can't argue the bigness feel that comes along with College GameDay being in town.

Notre Dame has been featured on the show a good amount in the last year, as it was featured for the Indiana, Penn State, and national championship games last season. It has been since 2023 against Ohio State that GameDay was on Notre Dame's campus for a regular season game, and it could be a nice cherry on top of what could end up being a historic evening as the possible end of the Notre Dame-USC rivalry nears.

This article first appeared on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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