One in every of faculty soccer’s most storied and heated rivalries is nearing a dramatic — and probably remaining — conclusion. When the USC Trojans journey to South Bend, Ind., to face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday evening, it could be the final time these two powerhouses conflict for the foreseeable future.
With USC’s Huge Ten schedule and Notre Dame remaining an impartial, the long-standing annual bout between these two applications is being shelved — simply shy of its one hundredth anniversary.
This isn’t simply any rivalry. It’s one in every of faculty soccer’s most passionate and bitter matchups. The disdain between the 2 fanbases is as fierce as any in sports activities. From iconic Heisman winners to nationwide championship implications, USC-Notre Dame video games have delivered decade after decade.
Regardless of USC’s dominant stretch within the early 2000s, the place the Trojans rattled off eight straight wins, Notre Dame has traditionally had the higher hand. The Combating Irish lead the all-time collection 50-37-5 getting into Saturday’s contest.
Timing has all the time performed a task within the drama. When USC hosts, the sport usually comes on the finish of the season, typically with postseason hopes hanging within the steadiness. In South Bend, it’s a mid-October showdown — and this 12 months, it’s a defining one.
Each groups enter ranked, each have desires of the Faculty Soccer Playoff, and each know what’s at stake. For Notre Dame, a loss spells the tip of their CFP hopes. For USC, the margin for error is barely bigger, however a defeat may derail their postseason aspirations all the identical.
The magnitude of this recreation runs deeper than rankings. It’s cultural. It’s private. Simply ask Notre Dame legend Mike Golic Sr., who advised Dan Patrick this week that he advised his youngsters they may go to any faculty — simply not USC. That’s the type of ardour this rivalry evokes.
Saturday’s prime-time matchup guarantees to be emotional, high-stakes, and unforgettable. If that is really the tip of the road for USC and Notre Dame — no less than for now — it’s solely becoming that it ends beneath the brilliant lights with every part on the road.
Will one remaining iconic second be added to the rivalry’s wealthy historical past? We’re about to search out out.
