Comparing USC and Notre Dame schedules shows need to move rivalry up in schedule

Certainly Notre Dame holds the advantage over USC in terms of head-to-head at the moment. The Fighting Irish are also coming off a National Championship appearance. They have had the better stretch of late compared to the Trojans.

Zooming out, in terms of titles, draft picks, and NFL Hall-of-Famers, everyone knows where that advantage lies. Even now, there is a much easier argument to be made about why the Jeweled Shillelagh helps the team from South Bend more in order to stay relevant.

It also needs to be added that coach Lincoln Riley is not ducking ND, as someone on X may have you believe. Instead, the HC is looking out for the best interests of the program.

The fact of the matter is that losses late in the year stand out and hurt more compared to those that happen at Week 0 or Week 1. It is not supposed to be the case. When committee members are selecting the final teams to make the playoffs, they are supposed to take the entirety of the season into account. Human nature is a real aspect to consider, however. The final impression is often the lasting one.

Another important factor to consider as well is that realignment has one team in one of, if not the best, conferences in that nation. For those who still view the SEC as the premier place of power, the BIG is certainly the most overall demanding, particularly with the coast-to-coast travel schedule.

Just compare this year, for example, which may end up being the last USC-ND series game if the Fighting Irish refuse to start being reasonable.

The Trojans will play Michigan, then travel to the Fighting Irish, then travel to Lincoln to take on Nebraska after a bye. 

Compare that to ND. They will host NC State, host USC, and then also have a bye before traveling to Boston College. It's not even a comparison.

Notre Dame needs to accept USC's proposal to schedule earlier

This is the crux of the matter, and why, if the rivalry truly means as much as Notre Dame claims it does to them, it needs to be them who blink first. USC is willing to schedule further contests; they just want it earlier in the season, not in the heart of Big Ten play.

Of course, that can be an issue that is very quickly resolved if the Fighting Irish also join forces with the BIG, but the same voices claiming that USC is ducking tough opponents aren't applying the same logic for that scenario.