Overview
- Notre Dame announced a two-year home-and-home with BYU for 2026 and 2027, with a trip to Provo next October and a return game in South Bend the following year.
- USC and Notre Dame issued a joint statement pledging to resume the Jeweled Shillelagh rivalry, with multiple reports saying administrators are aiming for a restart as soon as 2030.
- Negotiations had neared a two-year extension with a 2026 game on the traditional post‑Thanksgiving weekend, and a subsequent Week Zero concept was discussed but did not materialize.
- USC now has an open nonconference slot on its 2026 schedule and is searching for a replacement opponent.
- The pause breaks a near-continuous run since 1926, with previous interruptions only during World War II and the 2020 pandemic season.