Latest from coach Marcus Freeman SHOULD allow for USC-ND series to continue

Negotiations can often be about who blinks first. In a Notre Dame standoff that was never going to terribly affect USC, it looks like the Fighting Irish are the first party to blink. This should not be seen as anything bold or revolutionary on their part, considering the Trojan ask was more than reasonable to begin with.

In either event, coach Marcus Freeman, as shared by On3 on X, has come out to say that he does not care when the game is scheduled. His only concern is that it takes place and that the rivalry series is able to continue.

This says a lot, considering the Notre Dame stance has to this point been firmly entrenched in keeping the South Bend and Los Angeles fixed calendar slots the same as they have been. To be clear, USC has equally maintained its enthusiasm and desire to preserve the tradition. The Trojan perspective was only to move it up, closer to the beginning of the season.

While ND has the luxury of picking the schedule or playing part of the ACC, depending on how that conference's teams rotate in their agreement (now with Clemson each year), USC is in the Big Ten. To be pursuing a BIG title while then needing to prepare for what would be the most difficult non-conference matchup at that time of year in the sport would be a disservice to the football program.

Acceptable result that USC can live with

Sensibly, the Trojans simply asked for the fixture date to be moved but to keep this CFB series. Now, it appears that coach Freeman, while not entirely agreeing, is at least conceding that keeping the scheduling status quo only for the sake of it is not a necessity moving forward.

It is unknown how the exact nature of these conversations is unfolding behind closed doors. In a situation where Notre Dame does not hold any leverage, it will be smart for the ultimate ND decision-makers to listen to the latest words from the Fighting Irish head coach and preserve this college football tradition by reaching an agreement that sees the Jeweled Shillelagh played earlier in the season.