USC Continues To Lie About Why Its Not Playing Notre Dame

The Irish Breakdown Podcast delivers a fiery critique of USC's handling of the Notre Dame rivalry, accusing the Trojans of dishonesty, cowardice, and revisionist history. The hosts argue that USC, not Notre Dame, is the one avoiding the rivalry, citing repeated attempts by USC to impose unrealistic scheduling demands—such as playing Notre Dame in week zero—while Notre Dame consistently offered compromises. They dismantle claims by USC media figures like Colin Cowherd and the LA Times that Notre Dame is 'crawling back' or 'ducking' USC, asserting that the opposite is true: USC created insurmountable obstacles to make the rivalry fail. The hosts highlight Notre Dame's consistent success, including multiple playoff appearances and top-10 finishes, contrasting it with USC's lack of playoff contention and weak non-conference scheduling. They condemn USC's leadership—particularly Lincoln Riley and Jen Cohen—for lacking integrity, avoiding tough competition, and lying to donors and fans. The episode concludes with a passionate call for honoring tradition, holding programs accountable, and rejecting the softening of college football standards in favor of easier paths to the playoffs.