With USC entering the Big Ten, the Trojans’ football schedules will get harder. Since they play Notre Dame every year, it’s understandable why some Trojan fans think this game with the Fighting Irish needs to be reconsidered if not halted. However, as Fighting Irish Wire editor Nick Shepkowski reminds us, these programs built each other on the strength of this rivalry:
Maybe I’m naive and being irrationally optimistic but I truly don’t see USC ditching Notre Dame anytime soon. Sure the likes of Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, and the rest of the traditional Big Ten are now at hand, but even with that which game brings USC the most exposure each year (assuming they’re playing at a high level, and still often times when they’re not)? Notre Dame. It’s one thing to run from a matchup with LSU, a powerhouse but non-traditional rival, to start USC’s first season in the Big Ten. It’s entirely another to run from the program that helped build the USC brand more than any other nationally.
The 1925 Rose Bowl brought Notre Dame to Southern California to play Stanford. On the heels of that game, Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne and USC coach Howard Jones agreed to play each other. Their wives loved the idea and were enthusiastic about it. A friendship blossomed between the two coaches, and the USC-Notre Dame rivalry took off. It gave Notre Dame exposure in the West and helped make Notre Dame a national program. It helped USC get exposure in the Midwest and in America’s urban centers in the Central and Eastern time zones. This rivalry immensely helped both programs and made them what they have become. Getting rid of this rivalry would take away something at the heart of these two storied college football programs.
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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/remember-usc-notre-dame-hugely-225931471.html
Author : Trojans Wire
Publish date : 2024-05-30 22:59:31
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