The news that is sweeping throughout the college football world about the possible ending of the USC/Notre Dame series has naturally resulted in college football fans worried about the rivalry. Pat Forde’s Sports Illustrated articles on the subject have identified the issues confronting the series, and that is how USC has identified the challenges associated with playing a Big Ten conference schedule, while also trying to qualify for The College Football Playoff.
While recording an episode of Around The Big Ten with @MarcGivler, something dawned on me, and I can only hope that people at NBC have come to the conclusion ~
Make the USC/Notre Dame game the first game of the season. At night. Every year.
Think about it. NBC has the contractual rights to all Notre Dame home games, and will hold these rights through the 2029 season. NBC also is a media partner of The Big Ten, and traditionally has televised Big Ten games for night games since the 2023 season, and will until the 2029-2030 academic year.
The USC/Notre Dame series usually is set up for USC to host Notre Dame at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum at the end of November, and Notre Dame will host USC usually in the middle of October. Here is where USC’s concerns may lie – no matter at the end of November, or the middle of October, USC’s focus is on how this game could physically impact them while in the midst of a Big Ten conference schedule. I want to emphasize the word “may“.
Here is how this could work – NBC could make this game, no matter in Los Angeles or South Bend, the focal point of the first (or second) week of the college football season by having it on at night. It is a win-win for NBC, because they know that college football fans will be excited to see either/both of these teams. And for USC, a non-conference loss in the first or second week of the season will not have any impact upon them within The Big Ten conference race, unlike how the series is presently constructed.
C’mon NBC. Pull up a chair to the negotiating parties for USC and Notre Dame, and offer this as a solution to keep this intersectional rivalry going, like everyone wants.
