Ever since the news broke about the Notre Dame and USC matchup ending for the time being, it feels like the media has been on the side of the Fighting Irish. Even famous Trojan fans have admitted that this makes USC just look scared to play Notre Dame.
There is one LA Times columnist who is doubling down on his claim that Notre Dame is the coward in all of this. Bill Plaschke, a sports writer for the LA Times, decided to write the opposite of what many think of this rivalry coming to an end, and blamed the Irish.
Plaschke goes as far as calling the Notre Dame leadership cowards because they weren't willing to do a schedule change.
Column: Notre Dame’s leaders are cowards for backing out of USC football rivalry https://t.co/wclZCxAU8b
— Bill Plaschke (@BillPlaschke) December 23, 2025
Bill Plaschke cites Notre Dame declining bowl invite as evidence of being cowards
Whenever this rivalry has been played, it typically takes place in the middle of October in South Bend and around November when played in Los Angeles. This is a rivalry that has been played nearly 100 times on either of those dates; however, it wasn't Notre Dame that wanted to change things, it was USC.
The reason USC wanted to change things was that they didn't want to be "punished" by the College Football Playoff selection committee for a late loss in the season. Now, that sounds like a cowardly thing.
Notre Dame did not run away from its bowl game after the College Football Playoff; however, they did decide not to play in a game that would have no meaning on the season after not getting into the CFP, which they were in all season long before the bracket reveal.
Notre Dame is not running away from USC. Why would the Fighting Irish want to run away from a 100-year rivalry in which they are 10-3 in the last 13 meetings? Just because USC wants to move the game to the beginning of the season, when for 100 years it has been played the same two times, doesn't mean Notre Dame should have to comply.
Someone should tell USC that early losses can still affect CFP chances, as they did to Notre Dame this season. Notre Dame was more than willing to play this game, but USC made it difficult to get a deal done, and finally, the Irish had enough and instead scheduled games with BYU for the next two seasons.