Find someone who loves you as much as Colin Cowherd loves him some USC. Not since the advent of the iPhone have his beloved Trojans consistently been anything worth writing home about. USC blew up the old Pac-12 for more money-making ventures in the Big Ten, only to soon find out that a team from Southern California does not enjoy playing on the road in the midwest in mid-November.
Cowherd went on a rant for the ages in discussing the Notre Dame-USC rivalry possibly resuming.
"USC and Notre Dame are talking again because Notre Dame came crawling back ... USC has all the leverage."
No, you do not need to watch all four minutes of his latest rant to realize he was shilling for USC again.
"USC and Notre Dame are talking again because Notre Dame came CRAWLING back... USC has all the leverage."@colincowherd reacts to reports that the Trojans and Fighting Irish are in talks to resume their rivalry pic.twitter.com/TgExJ7pUiP
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) May 12, 2026
It is just so convenient for him to forget that Notre Dame has beaten USC's brains in for the better part of 20 years now. It was USC who canceled this rivalry series because nobody likes confrontation less than Lincoln Riley. Oklahoma fans cannot stand him, and it is only a matter of time before USC fans come to their senses that they never win anything substantial, as long as he is their head coach.
USC does not have all the leverage here; they just want to play a breezy non-conference like Indiana.
Colin Cowherd is once again playing damage control for Lincoln Riley
Since 2014, Notre Dame has reached the College Football Playoff three times, playing for a national championship in 2024-25. If we kick it back to 2012, the Irish have played for another one. Not since 2005 has USC played for a national championship. In the years since the playoff first came into form, USC kind of, sort of sniffed at the playoff, maybe twice. It was in a four-team format, but still, no cigar...
To complain about potentially playing on the road in November in adverse conditions is so rich. This is what USC signed up for by moving to the Big Ten. It snows in the midwest in November, which makes it hard to throw the ball in a gimmicky Air Raid offense. Over the last five years, Marcus Freeman has turned more and more people into Notre Dame fans. Meanwhile, Riley continues to be about himself.
So while Cowherd may be championing one of the biggest brands in the Big Ten yet again, at what point is he going to realize this is merely a sunk cost? If USC does not make the playoff this year, when are the Trojans ever going to do it under Riley? They will have to face Indiana, Ohio State, and Oregon in Big Ten play. USC must beat at least one of them, as well as not lose any of its other games.
As for Notre Dame, the Irish will play the likes of BYU, Miami, and SMU on their 12-game schedule. It may be getting harder and harder for Pete Bevacqua to schedule teams to round out its schedules annually, but Notre Dame is always going to be a quality opponent for whoever plays them. Miami beat them last year, and that is why the Canes made the playoff. Beating USC carries very little clout.
Overall, Notre Dame would love to keep this annual rivalry going with USC because it usually means a win for the Irish. Whether that game is played in South Bend, Los Angeles, or on the moon, it has never mattered. Freeman is running a better football program at Notre Dame than Riley is at USC, and everybody but Cowherd knows it. Both may end up making the playoff, but only one feels like a lock...
Months later, USC canceling its series with Notre Dame feels like a desperate plea to keep Riley's job.
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