Knute Rockne and Howard Jones launched the Notre Dame-USC football rivalry, arranging the game in 1926 which gave birth to one of the most special college football rivalries of all time.
USC-Notre Dame hasn’t been nationally relevant on both sides for most of the past 15 years. There were a few years in the early part of the century (2002-2006) when the rivalry had some significant games, but the vast majority of ND-SC games over the past 30 years have not been mega-events.
This 2022 game comes close, but with Notre Dame at 8-3, the Irish are spoilers more than title contenders.
We can say the game is a bigger deal than in the recent past, but it sure isn’t 2005, either. We can also say that if Notre Dame and USC play with both teams in the national title hunt, few college football games pop with significance and meaning more than this one.
Knute Rockne created this rivalry with Jones nearly 100 years ago. The coaches of Notre Dame and USC gave rise to something special.
This is part of why the Knute Rockne Memorial Society is bringing its awards celebration to Los Angeles this Friday. Learn about this event. You might want to attend and learn more about a part of Notre Dame-USC history: