The Notre Dame-USC series will go on indefinite hiatus after the schools failed to reach an agreement on a new deal to keep one of college football’s most historic intersectional rivalries active.

The Fighting Irish and Trojans had one more game left on the books, to be played at USC during the 2026 season, but that’s off now. Notre Dame announced Monday a home-and-home with BYU in 2026 and 2027 that will fill the spot on the Fighting Irish’s schedule normally occupied by USC.

Another marquee matchup 📆☘️

Taking on BYU in 2026 and 2027#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/jqF1VjgxRG

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) December 22, 2025

The two schools issued a joint statement early Monday afternoon: “USC and Notre Dame recognize how special our rivalry is to our fans, our teams, and college football, and our institutions will continue working towards bringing back The Battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh. The rivalry between our two schools is one of the best in all of sport, and we look forward to meeting again in the future.”

Excluding the 2020 pandemic-interrupted season and three seasons during World War II in the 1940s, the Fighting Irish and Trojans have played every year since 1926.

Notre Dame leads the series 51-37-5.

A source familiar with the discussions told The Athletic that Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua and USC AD Jen Cohen spoke Monday morning, trying one last time to come to an agreement on extending the series.

In February, Cohen told The Athletic: “In an ideal world, we’re going to keep playing each other. With that being said, the landscape has changed dramatically. We’re now playing in a conference where we fly back and forth across the country every other week, and CFP expansion and how you get access to the CFP and how things are seeded and selected. Those, to me, are important, unanswered questions. So we remain in conversations with Notre Dame about the series. I think we’re clear to each other (that) we’re going to continue to evaluate what’s best, and it’s my job to evaluate what’s best for our student-athletes and our program.”

USC proposed to play the game earlier in the season at a neutral site, but the two sides could not agree to that, either.

The Trojans clearly did not want to make their schedule too difficult. In 2024, they played both Notre Dame and LSU in addition to playing a nine-game Big Ten schedule.

USC and Notre Dame are two of the country’s most storied programs, claiming a combined 22 national championships, dating back to the days of legendary coaches Knute Rockne for the Irish and Howard Jones for the Trojans.

The game has traditionally been scheduled in the middle of the season when it is played at Notre Dame Stadium and as the regular-season finale for both teams when it is played at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

The Irish and Trojans have played 36 times with both teams ranked, including earlier this season when Notre Dame beat USC 34-24. Only Ohio State-Michigan (50) and Texas-Oklahoma (45) have played more times with both teams ranked.

Bevacqua has been adamant about wanting the USC series to continue uninterrupted. Instead, the Irish made a quick pivot to Big 12 runner-up BYU, another College Football Playoff contender that ended up on the wrong side of the bubble this season.

The Irish and Cougars have played seven times, with Notre Dame winning five. The two programs last met in 2022 in Las Vegas.

The new deal calls for the Irish and Cougars to play in Provo, Utah, next season, and in South Bend in 2027.

Notre Dame’s schedule in upcoming seasons includes home-and-home series against Auburn, Texas, Michigan State, Michigan, Florida, Alabama and Indiana, as well as a 12-year deal with Clemson.