College football analyst argues that USC and Notre Dame must continue to play every year
The past few weeks have certainly been a tense time for the future of the USC-Notre Dame football rivalry. The Trojans and Fighting Irish have been rivals with one another for nearly a century, and have faced off every year but one since World War II. However, the two schools do not have an agreement to extend their rivalry beyond 2026, and right now appear to be at an impasse over the future of the series.
On a recent episode of his national college football show "The Hard Count", J.D. Pickell of On3 argued that the Trojans and Irish must continue to play each other every year, regardless of the potential consequences.
"This is an incredibly short-sighted approach to say, 'well, it might hurt out chances of making the playoff, so therefore we're gonna take a step back,'" Pickell said. "That's not what this is about.
"When you go to USC, part of that whole deal is you are playing Notre Dame . . . that's how this thing works. That's college football. There are certain things that are just part of the equation when you sign up to go to a certain place.
"I think [USC's] brand in itself is phenomenal. Same thing for Notre Dame . . . but I think that when you play your rival—especially with a rivalry of this stature—you get more juice when you play Notre Dame. You get more juice when you play USC."
Pickell makes a valid point. USC and Notre Dame have been playing each other for almost 100 years. The rivalry is woven into the fabric of what makes college football what it is. The expanded playoff, on the other hand, has been around for less than 12 months. To end a century-old rivalry over concerns about a new postseason system goes against everything that college football fans love about the sport.
Hopefully, the two schools will see the light, and they will be able to work out a long-term extension to keep the series going beyond next year.
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