Colin Cowherd Suggests USC Drop Notre Dame from Football Schedule

Here’s to hoping Colin Cowherd doesn’t get his way…

Few program histories in college football compare to that of USC.  The Trojans have been a west coast power for a century a despite having Southern California in their name, register as a national brand. A huge reason for that is because historically USC has been willing to play the elite of college football.  The Trojans have of course had the annual rivalry game with Notre Dame since 1926 but beyond the Irish, the Trojans schedule has been littered with the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Texas, and plenty of other traditional powerhouses for years. Earlier this week news came out that USC and head coach [autotag]Lincoln Riley[/autotag] specifically had been trying to get out their season-opening game with LSU this fall for over a year. National sports-talker Colin Cowherd then took it a step further, suggesting USC drop Notre Dame from their schedule going forward. It’s a stance that although we certainly don’t agree with happening, can understand why it’s being discussed.  Here is what we said about that exact same idea back in early-April:
Notre Dame’s schedule is always strong but without USC on it annually, it would certainly take a hit. Although I don’t think USC is about to run, it’s still worth at least exploring. Michigan, which the poster mentions, used to schedule one of the best out-of-conference schedules in the nation. Notre Dame, obviously, stands out as one of Michigan’s former annual rivals, but games with Alabama, Colorado (in its heyday), Washington and Oregon used to be regular occurrences. Now Michigan has stacked its nonconference schedule with the UNLVs, East Carolinas and Bowling Greens of the world and won a national championship while doing so. -From Fighting Irish Wire on April 9, 2024
Maybe I’m naive and being irrationally optimistic but I truly don’t see USC ditching Notre Dame anytime soon. Sure the likes of Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, and the rest of the traditional Big Ten are now at hand, but even with that which game brings USC the most exposure each year (assuming they’re playing at a high level, and still often times when they’re not)? Notre Dame. It’s one thing to run from a matchup with LSU, a powerhouse but non-traditional rival, to start USC’s first season in the Big Ten. It’s entirely another to run from the program that helped build the USC brand more than any other nationally. [lawrence-related id=86316,55951,86536]