USC is ready to have a troublesome schedule in its first season within the Huge Ten, however its tough slate of video games extends past convention battles.
The Trojans tackle LSU in Las Vegas and Notre Dame at house to bookend the common season, including two video games towards groups who’ll probably be ranked within the preseason prime 25. As a rumor not too long ago emerged that USC truly tried to get out of its recreation towards LSU, Colin Cowherd believes it might’ve been a sensible transfer for the Trojans to cancel that matchup if they may have.
Actually, Cowherd thinks USC ought to go one step additional with its strategy to constructing its out-of-conference schedule.
“USC’s going to have on its schedule Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Wisconsin and solely the most effective of the Pac-12 — Oregon, Washington, UCLA,” Cowherd mentioned on “The Herd.” “I’ll ask a query, why have they got to maintain taking part in Notre Dame? ‘However Colin, the historical past!’ Oh, give me a break. Faculty soccer punted on historical past final yr. They disbanded the one Energy 5 convention West of the Rockies. Punted it into the ether. Each man for himself, so spare me on the historical past.”
The USC-Notre Dame matchup has traditionally been the most effective rivalries in school soccer for the reason that first time the 2 groups performed in 1926. Each groups have met almost yearly since then, solely lacking battles between 1943-45 attributable to World Warfare II and in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lots of these matchups have had implications on the nationwide championship image as nicely, with every group delivering blows that ended the opposite’s title hopes on quite a few events. The rivalry has additionally featured a number of the sport’s most iconic video games, such because the “Bush Push” in 2005. Notre Dame leads the all-time collection, 49–37, with 5 ties.
To date, the USC-Notre Dame rivalry has been protected from getting canceled attributable to convention realignment. Though Notre Dame is an impartial, its annual matchup rivalries with Michigan and Michigan State have ended in recent times, partly due to the Combating Irish’s scheduling settlement with the ACC.
Why it’s time to finish the USC-Notre Dame CFB rivalry
Cowherd’s reasoning for USC to finish its annual matchup with Notre Dame, although, is for causes past simply convention realignment.
“Take into consideration what prime packages in school soccer must face,” Cowherd mentioned. “These are the massive canines, with probably the most expertise like Alabama, Georgia, Texas, you have to get by your convention schedule. Oh wait, they only added Texas and Oklahoma Sooners to the brutal SEC and USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon to the Huge Ten. Then, if you will get by that, you could have a convention championship recreation, and also you may need to play a type of groups once more. After which, we’ll have a 12-team playoff, so you are going to must play 4 extra of these groups, doubtlessly.
“You suppose I need to add a Notre Dame to that? It is truly a respectful transfer.”
Along with LSU and Notre Dame, USC will tackle Michigan, Penn State and Nebraska, which had been every ranked in Joel Klatt’s post-spring prime 25 rankings. It additionally has matchups towards Wisconsin and Washington, which determine to be formidable opponents.
USC-Notre Dame actually would not be the primary historic rivalry to finish in recent times. Along with Notre Dame’s matchups with Michigan and Michigan State, Oklahoma-Oklahoma State is ready to affix the various different annual rivalries which have ended due to convention realignment.
That is why Cowherd would not have a problem with advocating for USC to finish its rivalry with Notre Dame, until it places the ball within the Combating Irish’s court docket.
“You may grasp, maintain and simply preserve pulling at historical past,” Cowherd mentioned. “But when I used to be USC, I might be like, ‘Nah, been there completed that. If you wish to be part of the Huge Ten, Notre Dame, then we’ll play you.'”
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