Rumors are floating the USC is trying to get out of its game with ND. Will it soon be forced to join a conference and will its weak strength of schedule be held against it?

They play two ranked teams in week 1 and 2 in Miami (#21) and a&m (23). It’s a joke. 

Edited May 24, 20251 yr by Realist Horn

ND must join a Power 4 for football  (already a member of the ACC for other sports)and play by the same rules as ALL other schools in football.!

1 hour ago, Realist Horn said:

Rumors are floating the USC is trying to get out of its game with ND.

Not sure it's so much "trying to get out of it" as "trying to renegotiate the scheduling of it", moving off home-and-home in mid-October, which is the middle of USC's conference scheduling.  Apparently all the travel east is weighing on the Trojans so they asked to either schedule the Notre Dame game earlier in the year or, on a four year rotation, play 2 in LA, one game in South Bend and one game at a neutral site closer to LA (Vegas maybe?).  Something like that.  A bit of a dick move since they can afford to give up the game more than Notre Dame can, but you can sorta see their point.

Hard to feel sorry for USC since they joined a conference with teams in Maryland and New Jersey, so knew the travel would be brutal.  Best guess - still play it but early in the season?

Edit: good article on this topic in Sports Illustrated (where I got my ideas) - USC vs. Notre Dame Football Rivalry Must Continue

 

Edited May 24, 20251 yr by ArizonaLonghorn

If ND is going to remain independent, make them re-hire Spew Holtz. 

18 hours ago, GoHorns1 said:

ND must join a Power 4 for football  (already a member of the ACC for other sports)and play by the same rules as ALL other schools in football.!

Which rules don’t they play by?

I don’t see a scenario that pushes Notre Dame to a conference UNLESS there is unified broadcast rights across all of college football.

That’s the only way and that’s a long, long ways off from happening, if ever.

2 hours ago, Oldest Horn said:

Which rules don’t they play by?

No conference champion game involved 

36 minutes ago, GoHorns1 said:

No conference champion game involved 

Not a rule

4 hours ago, GoHorns1 said:

No conference champion game involved 

True, but there were at least three other teams not named Notre Dame in last year's 12 team playoff who didn't play in a conference championship game.  I can understand the loser of a conference championship game getting in, but if you're letting in teams ranked 3rd or lower in conference there's no reason to exclude ND.  

They already are barred from getting a top seed and a home game.  (And I really detest ND, just pointing this out ... if you want to limit it to just teams who won or played in a CCG then OK, leave ND out, but otherwise I'd say let them scramble for an at large bid if their record and SOS is good enough.)

The "No conference championship game involved" made more sense in a 4 team playoff, I feel.

Lincoln is a doosh canoe.  General comment