Lincoln Riley Wants USC-Notre Dame Rivalry: 'One of the Reasons I Came Here'
The contract for a rivalry that dates to 1926 expires after their game in 2026 in Los Angeles. Both schools have expressed a willingness to lock down more games, but differences over how many appear to be holding up the negotiations.
USC's move to the Big Ten gave the Trojans less flexibility in their non-conference schedule. Big Ten teams have nine conference games and only three open slots.
Speaking at Big Ten Media Days on Thursday, Trojans coach Lincoln Riley said he was, of course, hopeful that the series will continue. But not at any cost.
"I want to play the game. Absolutely. It's one of the reasons I came here," Riley said. "But, also, my allegiance and my loyalty is not to Notre Dame, and it's not to anybody else. I'm the head football coach at USC, and I'm going to back USC."
Some of the uncertainty revolves around the College Football Playoff.
The Trojans have lost six of the last seven against Notre Dame. If CFP leaders decide to award four automatic bids to the Big Ten, which is the conference's preference, a long-term deal to play the Irish might be more palatable to USC. A system with more at-large bids, however, would make it more difficult, from a CFP standpoint, to absorb a non-conference loss.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account , and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience College Football
recommended
Item 1 of 3 Get more from the College Football Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Winners and losers after two weeks of Texans training camp
Ten days of Houston Texans training camp have wrapped up at the Methodist Training Center. There's been good, bad and indifferent play all around through over a week of action, but the next four practices are pivotal toward building a foundation for the team's future. After a four-day trip to The Greenbrier in West Virginia, the first test appears on Houston's schedule. It's a preseason game, so don't expect much from starters, but every win or loss could carry weight and a public perception going into Week 1's showdown against Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams. Several players are peaking at the right time, like Will Anderson Jr. He's not in jeopardy of losing starting reps, but a strong season could warrant a contract that makes him one of the highest-paid defensive ends in league history. Others have regressed. And yes, those players are fighting for roster spots going into a week of practice at the Greenbrier. As Houston preps for another week of drills, here's Texans Wire's biggest winners and losers of training camp back at home base. Winner: TE Cade Stover Texans general manager Nick Caserio mentioned that Stover was the most improved player of the entire offseason, regardless of position group or side of the ball. So far through 10 days of camp, it's hard to argue. Last season, Stover was still getting comfortable learning how to play the position after starting off his career as a linebacker at Ohio State. Now, the former fourth-round pick is looking more like that security blanket that C.J. Stroud trusted in Columbus amid a College Football Playoff run in 2023. Stover has constantly found himself working with the first-team offense. He looks more comfortable winning his route battles against opposing defenders and has leaned down to become more agile in blocking sets. Dalton Schultz is going to be the main starter this season, but plan for Stover to have a significant role in Nick Caley's offense this season. Loser: OT Blake Fisher It's still early to call it quits on Fisher, but the second-round pick isn't helping his case by avoiding the "b" word after a struggling offseason. When camp broke in mid-July, the former starting right tackle was taking reps solely with the first-team offense. He's been running with 2s since pads came on Monday morning and hasn't even cracked the rotation. Fisher has experience over rookie Tay Ersery, having started in the team's final six games. They weren't pretty, but reps matter. Sadly, so do penalties, which Fisher has been flagged for multiple times in team drills. What's worse is the sack total. Even names like Darrell Taylor and Solomon Byrd are winning their battles and getting pressure on Stroud during team drills. Fisher has an uphill battle to reclaim that top spot over Ersery, whom the Texans drafted to be Laremy Tunsil's replacement on the left side. It could be a long season for the once-thought long-term right tackle in H-Town if he continues to struggle. Winner: DB Calen Bullock Pick a practice. Literally, any day since camp broke last week. You got it? Bullock has been the most impressive player that morning. Yes, every morning, Bullock is the one standing out the most. He's already recorded four interceptions against Stroud in drills and has been more physical when asked to play against tight ends in man coverage. On Wednesday, the second-year defensive back went stride-for-stride with Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins to break up a deep post pattern. Last season, Bullock totaled five interceptions and helped Houston stabilize the back end of its secondary after Jalen Pitre moved into the nickel role. He's a true ball-hawk that's only getting back as a tackler and run-stopper. Loser: LB Christian Harris Harris hasn't been on the field, which is why he should be considered a "loser" through two weeks of camp. The Texans elected not to put the fourth-year linebacker on the PUP list for the start of camp after he was limited in OTAs. Theoretically, Harris could show up at practice tomorrow and make this a moot point. But through two weeks, no one has seen Harris on the field. He's done some work off to the sides, but outside of a couple of glimpes, the linebacker who took over the Texans' defense in 2023 has been absent. That's a massive deal for his future since Henry To'oTo'o and E.J. Speed both have looked promising as the weakside linebacker in drills throughout camp. No, Harris likely won't be cut since his potential trumps both To'oTo'o and Azeez Al-Shaair, but as he enters the final year of his rookie deal, he needs a solid season to earn a contract extension. Winner: DE Darrell Taylor Danielle Hunter and Anderson aren't in jeopardy of losing reps, but teams are always looking for a secondary pass-rusher who can fill in on certain downs. While Derek Barnett has been a fine addition, Taylor looks moe agile and has been blowing past both Tay Ersery and Cam Robinson when rotating in with the first-team defense. A former part-time starter in Seattle, Taylor averaged six sacks a season with the Seahawks. Last year with Chicago, he only managed to total three, but his pressure rate ranked among the top 10 of non-starting edge rushers. It's been on display throughout drills during team with the second-team unit. Right now, expect Taylor to be the first man up should Anderson or Hunter need a minute to catch their breath. Loser: RB Nick Chubb Let's get this out of the way; no, Chubb isn't a terrible running back who looks overworked after coming off back-to-back season-ending injuries. But the Texans didn't sign Chubb to be the lead back like they did with Joe Mixon. He was supposed to be a solid No. 2 option that could start in a pinch. Right now, starting Chubb might be the biggest red flag for Houston long-term. So far in camp, that burst needed to get through to the second and third level of the defense is nowhere to be found. Now could some of the blame fall on the offensive line? Perhaps, but you can't put all the blame on the unit in a live game if that's all you got. Houston needs Mixon to stay healthy. That was evident last season when he missed three games with an ankle injury. The run game was obsolete at best. Right now, it looks to be the same; should Chubb, or really anyone for that matter, be the lead back? Winner: CB Kamari Lassiter It's hard to stand out when you're competing for reps opposite an All-Pro cornerback daily, but those at practice have noticed growth in Lassiter in drills. He's won nearly every route in man coverage during team drills when not asked to target Collins. He's also forced a handful of incompletions and has yet to give up a touchdown in coverage since the red zone drills on Tuesday against the Pro Bowler from Michigan. By the season's end, Lassiter could be considered the league's best No. 2 corner and a rising star among all defenders in the league with his consistency in mirroring receivers and as a tackler in space. Winner: DB Jaylin Smith There's a good chance we won't see much of Smith on defense, but that doesn't mean he hasn't been standing out in drills. The third-round pick from USC has worked drills at both safety and outside corner, but a majority of his snaps have come in the nickel position. On Saturday, he broke up a pass intended for Jayden Higgins. He also won his one-on-one battle against Collins during seven-on-seven drills. Right now, there's no home for Smith. Maybe that's promising since the Texans could have him line up anywhere in a pinch. Expect to see him play a significant amount of snaps on Saturday against the Vikings, often moving from the nickel to the boundary and maybe even some reps in the C.J. Gardner-Johnson role. Loser: DL Denico Autry Much like with Harris, Autry's loss is more so because of his availability and growth from other talents. He's a rotational defensive end who probably will only see action on pass-rushing downs when they shift him inside. The problem is that Derek Barnett can do the same thing. So can Taylor, who continues to shine at practice. No one is picking up Autry's contract after a suspension that cost him six games and a disappointing first year with the roster. In the end, Houston might just cut its losses with Autry, eat the dead money and use what's left over as a starting point for extensions in the offseason. Winner: WR Jaylin Noel While he's going to start the season as the No. 2 slot option, Texans fans should feel confident in Noel taking over as the long-term starter in 2026. While working mostly with the second-team offense, he's been far and away the best option on the 2s and perhaps the most impressive rookie. Noel isn't going to beat Kirk Week 1 for reps, but the offense allows all three of its receivers to rotate in and out of spots on the field. That means if Kirk ends up being a solid fit on the outside of the rookie Higgins, Noel should shift inside with more first-team reps as the starting slot option. Loser: OL Juice Scruggs Fisher might not be in jeopardy of losing a roster spot, but Scruggs probably isn't so lucky. In two years, the former second-round pick has gone from starting at guard to starting at center to moving back to guard to now working with the third-team unit behind names like Jaylon Thomas. Right now, he's still on the roster, but if things continue to sour in drills, Scruggs could be the odd man out on the line with insufficient play. At best right now, Scruggs is depth. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Alabama football 2025 season preview, predictions: Parker Brailsford
As we enter the 2025 college football season, there are likely few offensive lineman nationally better at what they do than Alabama Crimson Tide center Parker Brailsford. A returning starter along Alabama's offensive line, Brailsford is back for year two in Tuscaloosa this fall, entering the campaign as one of the top centers in all of college football. One of the players who followed Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer from Washington, Brailsford also returns to Alabama after turning down the NFL draft this past offseason, and as a result, is likely now set for an even better 2025 campaign compared to what was already a strong season a year ago. Here is everything you need to know about star Alabama center Parker Brailsford entering the 2025 season. Parker Brailsford player information Position: Offensive Line Jersey Number: No. 72 Height: 6'2 Weight: 290 Class: Redshirt Junior Hometown: Mesa, Arizona High School: Saguaro Parker Brailsford career stats Brailsford is certainly not an unfamiliar face to college football, entering his fourth season this fall between his time at both Alabama and Washington. Across his prior three seasons, Brailsford has appeared in a combined 28 games, each of which he has started, receiving multiple honors along the way. Parker Brailsford 2024 stats Brailsford's 2024 season was his first at Alabama after transferring from Washington. A year ago, Brailsford started all 13 games for Alabama at center. Parker Brailsford recruiting ranking Coming out of high school, Brailsford was considered as the nation's No. 522 overall prospect in the 2022 recruiting class out of Saguaro High School in Arizona, where he was also ranked the state's No. 8 player. According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Brailsford, a three-star prospect, was also considered the nation's No. 23 overall interior offensive lineman in the class prior to attending Washington. Before coming to Alabama, Brailsford was considered by 247Sports as the No. 22 overall prospect in the transfer portal last offseason, as well as the No. 2 interior offensive lineman. Rated as a four-star prospect, Brailsford also committed to Alabama in Jan. 2024. Parker Brailsford 2025 season outlook As we enter the fall, Brailsford's role for Alabama in 2025 is a given. The redshirt junior is cemented as Alabama's starting center entering the season, and barring injury, will remain in that spot throughout the year. Brailsford will help anchor what should be a strong Alabama offensive front, and will likely see multiple accolades this season, one of which could be All-SEC honors. Overall, expect a phenomenal redshirt junior season for Brailsford in which he is one of, if not, the best center in all of college football. Parker Brailsford 2025 season prediction 2025 Prediction: Starts all 13 games, All-SEC honors Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Alabama football 2025 preview, predictions: Parker Brailsford
USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
Texans TE Dalton Schultz praises Cade Stover's growth entering Year 2
Dalton Schultz hopes to put a down season behind him as he enters Year 3 with the Houston Texans, but he also knows he'll need to impress if he plans on being back in 2026. So far through nearly two weeks of training camp, the veteran tight end has made some plays in the passing attack. He's finding a rhythm in Nick Caley's system while seemingly stepping up more as a blocker on run plays. But the star of the tight end room through 10 practices has been Cade Stover. C.J. Stroud used to toss him passes in Columbus when the two were teammates at Ohio State. One can tell there's a comfort level working together, but Stover also looks more polished and refined entering his second season with the organization. 'He's grown a lot. Strength, speed, size, knowledge of the game, he looks way more comfortable," Schultz said Saturday. "It's fun having him in the room because he's a farm boy, backcountry loves to get down and dirty. But, at the same time, you can see that he's really smart and he's got knowledge for the game. Especially being on the defensive side of the ball for so long, he's got that knowledge of the other side too." Drafted in the fourth round, Stover was still trying to figure out how to play tight end last season. After being recruited to Ohio State as a linebacker, the program transitioned him to the offensive side after his sophomore season. That led to a promising run with Stroud toward the College Football Playoff in 2023. One year after finding a role on special teams and as the team's H-back, Stover is settling in as a do-it-all tight end. When the team runs 12-personnel (two tight end sets), he's been paired with the first-team offense as the in-line blocker. On 11-personnel looks, Stover has begun to split reps with Schultz for starting reps at tight end. Texans general manager Nick Caserio mentioned ahead of training camp that Stover was the most improved player from the offseason. Even in a small sample size without facing off against opposing competition, Schultz has noticed the same things as Caserio. "He doesn't talk about it a ton, but I think he's smarter than he gives himself credit for," Schultz said. "That makes it really fun, being a guy going into year eight, I can have some conversations with him that some young guys in his position, I wouldn't be able to.' The Texans return to practice at the Greenbrier on Monday before taking on the Minnesota Vikings at US Bank Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
