Former USC players lament potential loss of Notre Dame rivalry
Former USC players lament potential loss of Notre Dame rivalry Many former Trojans are paying close attention to the developments surrounding the USC-Notre Dame football series
Right now, the storied USC-Notre Dame rivalry appears it could be in serious jeopardy. The two schools do not have an extension to the series scheduled beyond 2026, and according to reports, they appear to be far apart on terms.
Naturally, the news has not been positively received within the USC community. In the days following the news, several former Trojan players have lamented the possibility of the rivalry ending.
"Losing the SC vs Notre Dame will be the dumbest thing I've ever witnessed," former USC offensive lineman Zach Banner tweeted. "My love and passion for that rivalry is 1 of the biggest reasons I moved my life to SoCal…"
In addition, former USC running back Petros Papadakis, now an LA sports radio host and Fox Sports college football analyst, ripped Trojan head coach Lincoln Riley for allegedly trying to get out of the series.
"College football has been taken over by the television companies, one of which I work for as you know," Papadakis said in an interview with John Canzano on sports radio 750 The Game in Portland, Oregon. "But honestly none of that in my opinion has anything to do with USC-Notre Dame, and should not have anything to do with USC-Notre Dame. And that's the beauty of USC-Notre Dame is that it transcends conference realignment, it transcends the NIL, and it transcends all of these different twists and turns in the sport. If it can survive World Wars it should be able to survive the selfishness and the absolute myopic nature of the era we live in.
"It's ridiculous to think that it wouldn't. Because Lincoln Riley doesn't like it? Who the hell is Lincoln Riley in the grand scheme of things when it comes to USC and Notre Dame?
"Lincoln Riley trying to wriggle out of Notre Dame. I've got news for you, if you can't beat Maryland or Minnesota, what the hell are you worried about playing Notre Dame or not. Collect the revenue. USC is not even close to competing. And if they were fourth in the Big Ten, trust me having Notre Dame on their resume, win or lose, is a lot better than beating someone 60-0 that is Missouri State. It's just very sad to me . . . any argument being made, the Big Ten, travel, all of this stuff. It all goes by the wayside. It's USC-Notre Dame. There's billions of dollars involved and the players are getting paid. Are you kidding? We're not going to play this? It's the dumbest thing I've heard in my life."
Papadakis is certainly known for being a bit of a contrarian, and he has a noted history of negativity on air towards his alma mater. But he does make some valid points. Riley has been at USC for less than four years, and the expanded college football playoff has existed for less than one. For those two things to cause the end of one of college football's greatest rivalries that has been around for nearly a century would truly be a shame.
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