In the thick of a gauntlet schedule, No. 20 USC football has a heavy task approaching in the form of rival No. 13 Notre Dame. This matchup could be the last between the two storied programs unless a deal can be reached to continue the annual series.

The Trojans (5-1, 3-1 Big Ten) were up to the task in a major way last Saturday, as they took down then-No. 15 Michigan (4-2, 2-1) in an impressive 31-13 fashion. The much-needed win came after a disappointing last-minute loss to Illinois.  

“The best teams improve and learn as the season goes on,” Head Coach Lincoln Riley said in a post-practice news conference Tuesday. “It’s a one-week season every week, and you need the ability to press that reset button and get ready physically and emotionally to go do it again, especially when you play a schedule like we do within this conference.”

The Trojans have navigated through a difficult schedule over the first six games of the season and now turn their focus to the second half, which will include the upcoming matchup with the Fighting Irish (4-2) as well as dates with No. 8 Oregon (5-1, 2-1) and crosstown rival UCLA (2-4, 2-1) to close out the regular season.

On the other side, Notre Dame began the 2025 season with back-to-back, narrow losses against No. 2 Miami (5-0, 1-0 ACC) and No. 4 Texas A&M (6-0, 3-0 SEC), both of whom are currently undefeated. The Fighting Irish, however, have since bounced back with four-straight wins by an impressive 29.8 point average margin of victory.

USC’s win over Michigan last Saturday was led by a balanced offensive attack that included 224 rushing yards and 265 receiving yards. The dynamic junior wide receiver duo of Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane was strong, with each player catching at least five passes and finding the end zone. On the ground, redshirt freshman running back King Miller stepped up in the absence of USC’s top-two backs and rushed for 158 yards and a touchdown.

“He’s just getting better every day at practice, and the sky is the limit,” redshirt junior quarterback Jayden Maiava said of Miller in a post-practice news conference Tuesday. “I know where he’s at, and I’ve been in his shoes before in terms of getting reps, so [I told him] just go play your game and have fun with it.”

Despite having the second-most yards per game in college football, USC has had difficulty limiting turnovers as of late. The Trojans turned the ball over twice in the red zone against Michigan, including an interception from Maiava, who has thrown a pick in two-consecutive games after having none in his first four games this season.

‘I hope it continues’

The USC-Notre Dame rivalry has been an iconic competition to watch for over a century, but USC’s long-term commitment to the matchup remains uncertain heading into the teams’ 96th meeting. Both programs have come forward with different proposals to continue the annual game, but a deal has not yet been reached between the two schools for a meeting past this week’s game in South Bend.

The Fighting Irish currently hold possession of the Jeweled Shillelagh Trophy after defeating USC 49-35 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum last season. 

While the Fighting Irish lost last year’s star quarterback Riley Leonard to the NFL Draft, another dangerous force has remained in the backfield: junior running back Jeremiyah Love. Love, a projected first-round NFL draft pick, has rushed for 530 yards on 100 carries in 2025, and his 11 total touchdowns so far rank second among all players in college football. 

“I love it. I hope it continues,” Riley said of the rivalry with Notre Dame in a Zoom news conference Thursday. “Hopefully we can find a way to get that done where it makes sense for both sides and not just one.”

Key injuries still plaguing Trojans

Through six games this season, injuries have begun to take a toll on the Trojans’ roster depth. Star freshman defensive tackle Floyd Boucard suffered a lower body injury and was spotted at practice this week with crutches and a brace on his knee, The Los Angeles Times reported.

Riley said Boucard will miss the next couple of weeks and that the team will reevaluate his injury after the bye in week 9.

On offense, junior running back Waymond Jordan was carted off with an ankle injury against Michigan. His 576 rushing yards this season rank third in the Big Ten, but he is expected to be out for the next four to six weeks while recovering from tightrope surgery, CBS reported. Redshirt senior running back Eli Sanders was also carted off in the first half and is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season.

In more positive news for the offense, sophomore running back Bryan Jackson appeared in his first game since week one despite being listed as out on the Big Ten’s pregame availability report. With USC’s top-two backs out, he is likely to take on a larger workload against Notre Dame.

USC fined by Big Ten

After USC played Jackson despite him being listed as out, the Big Ten fined the University $5,000 for violating conference rules on the issue of roster transparency, a Big Ten spokesperson told The Los Angeles Times.

Riley said after the game that he communicated with the league ahead of time and let them know Jackson’s situation, but it ultimately resulted in a violation.

“The conference is imposing a $5,000 fine and admonishes all institutions to use the “out” designation only if there are no circumstances under which a student-athlete could participate in a game,” a Big Ten spokesperson said according to the L.A. Times. “Although these circumstances were unfortunate, it is critical for availability reports to be accurate.” 

The Trojans’ pivotal game against Notre Dame carries heavy College Football Playoff implications; a win for USC would hand the Fighting Irish its third loss of the season, likely knocking them out of playoff contention, while a Trojan loss would likely force them to beat Oregon to make their CFP debut.

“They’ve got a great atmosphere, so it’ll be a lot of fun,” redshirt senior tight end Lake McRee said in a post-practice news conference Tuesday. “It’s a great game, but at the end of the day, it’s another football team that we’re going to play, so it’s nothing different than what we’ve done last week and the weeks before.”

USC will head to South Bend, Indiana, to face Notre Dame on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.