Latest Notre Dame rivalry rant from USC HC Lincoln Riley had “hopeful” intentions, but it didn’t fool anyone
When you talk about the great rivalries for Notre Dame football, the Michigan Wolverines and USC Trojans are the two programs that get brought up first. Fighting Irish fans have been conditioned to hate both teams, and the feeling from fans on the other side is mutual. It is one of the great parts about […]
When you talk about the great rivalries for Notre Dame football, the Michigan Wolverines and USC Trojans are the two programs that get brought up first. Fighting Irish fans have been conditioned to hate both teams, and the feeling from fans on the other side is mutual. It is one of the great parts about college football, those rivalries.
That rivalry with Michigan has been dulled in recent years with a break in on field matchups. For Notre Dame fans, USC was the lone survivor in their top rivalries. It has been a hot topic of conversation with it seeming like that particular matchup against USC will not be renewed in the near future either, and once again, compromise a great rivalry.
What’s the reason for that? Well, if you ask Trojan head coach Lincoln Riley, it is the changing landscape in college football. It is their new affiliation with the Big Ten conference and the schedule that comes with it, and it is the difficulties with travel.
During media availability during Big Ten Media Day, Coach Riley was once again asked about Notre Dame, and destroying a rivalry. Here’s what he had to say.
“My very first thought (when hired as OC at OU) was I get to coach OU-Texas. When I decided to take USC job, my first thought was I get to coach USC-Notre Dame. Do I want to play the game? Hell, yeah. I’m hopeful we can get to the point where it makes sense. The two schools are in radically different situations, one in a conference.”
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For a coach who did his very best to try and end the Oklahoma-Texas rivalry, not many people want to hear about how pumped up he was for either rivalry game. Let’s call this situation like it is, Riley wants the easiest path to the college football playoffs. This isn’t about a misalignment of program synergy, or difficulties of travel. This is about wanting an easier path.
While that perspective is understandable, to a degree at least, we are in an era where there are 12 teams who are making the playoffs, and that is going to be up to 16 teams soon. If you need that much help to be a top 12-16 team in college football, especially at a place like USC with all of their resources, this is a you problem.
In the storied histories of both Notre Dame and USC, this matchup has been a staple, and one that has encapsulated everything great about being a fan of the sport. In an attempt to please your own dulled milestones and goals, you decided to try and kill it, to kill history. Spare the attempted appreciation gestures for wanted the rivalry, and instead “make sense” of being a better coach and competitor.
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