Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman wants to see renewal of an old rivalry

Things are changing in the world of college football, but it's a sport where tradition and pageantry have always reigned supreme. Perhaps that's why Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman would like to see the renewal of an old rivalry. 

Talking about rivalries, past and present, on a recent edition of the "Bussin' With The Boys" podcast, Freeman was asked by former Michigan Wolverines left tackle Taylor Lewan if he'd like to see the Notre Dame-Michigan rivalry brought back.

“Oh, I’m a huge proponent,” Freeman said. “Absolutely. I remember growing up watching Michigan play Notre Dame. That is such a great rivalry. You talk about two iconic programs. I would love to see that happen in the future, and I don’t know if there’s discussions. I don’t know if it’s on our future schedule, but now that you say that Taylor, I think it is on our schedule in like 2030 or something like that. We have to get that back going.”

Freeman just came out on the winning end of a rivalry game against the USC Trojans that dates back to 1926. 

The issue, though, is that because of conference expansion and the addition of extra conference games, the Notre Dame-USC rivalry is no longer a thing. That's not to say it can't come back, but there are no more games scheduled between the two classic college football schools.

College football expansion has taken away rivals for schools like Notre Dame

Expansion and the era of the always-open transfer portal, plus NIL deals, have changed the landscape of college football.

To some, that's a good thing. Players, who are now getting paid via NIL deals and have seemingly unlimited options thanks to the transfer portal, have to feel good about this new era. Conferences, specifically the Big Ten and SEC, have become more powerful and have made more money. 

In other ways, conference expansion and the NIL era have changed things for the worse, though. 

Specifically, some of the best rivalries in college football have been put on the back burner. For example, classic rivalries like Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State, Oregon vs. Oregon State and, now, USC vs. Notre Dame.

Michigan is a historic rival for Notre Dame, dating back to 1887, but the two programs haven't played since the 2019 season. Freeman is right in his recollection that Michigan is on Notre Dame's schedule in the future, but that's not until September 2033.

If you're a fan of college football, that's too long to wait.