Joel Klatt makes case for Notre Dame vs. USC to be annual matchup

Joel Klatt is one of college football’s major thought leaders, and he’s not silencing his opinion on the future of scheduling in the sport. The FOX Sports analyst believes there’s certain rivalries that should be untouchable, even with the immense changes we’ve seen over the past couple of seasons due to conference realignment.

The latest potential victim of circumstance seems to be the near-century long battle between USC and Notre Dame. Earlier this week, Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated reported the future of the showdown is on the brink of collapse, writing “the two sides see the situation very differently, with talks ongoing.”

That doesn’t exactly sit right with Klatt. During the latest episode of The Joel Klatt Show, the analyst took some time to make the case for the Trojans and Fighting Irish to continue their annual showdown, pleading for them to come to an agreement on the matter for the good of the sport.

“Did you know that Notre Dame–USC is actually not scheduled after 2026? We’ve had this series since 1926. That’s a hundred years,” Klatt stated, making the case for the rivalry to continue well beyond this coming season. “Lincoln Riley spoke last year about the uncertainty around the game, and this specific matchup for the future. It’s like, ‘Hey, we should probably find a way to lock that in, Notre Dame and USC.’ That’s a game that we should have in college football.”

According to Forde, the Trojans are hesitant to enter into a long-term deal due to uncertainty about the future College Football Playoff format, and the demands of heightened travel since joining the Big Ten Conference. One solution would be moving the game to a season-opening spot on the schedule, and that’s something USC has broached, sources told Sports Illustrated.

It doesn’t matter how it gets done, but both programs would be well served to ensure their clash continues beyond 2025. It would certainly be a major disappointment to fans of both programs, as well as college football as a whole if USC and Notre Dame decide enough is enough with their near hundred year long war.

Aside from USC-Notre Dame, Klatt believes four other games should be staples of the college football calendar. He included Kansas–Missouri, Florida–Miami, Colorado–Nebraska, and Bedlam (Oklahoma–Oklahoma State) in his top five. Having each one of those year after year would be an awesome turn of events.

Time will tell what the decision-makers for each school decide, but Joel Klatt is driving a hard bargain. USC and Notre Dame should be in each other’s lives, but we’ll have to wait and see if they’re headed towards a divorce or not after 2025.