Colin Cowherd says Notre Dame ‘desperately’ needs USC
By Mark Kern
Published:
Colin Cowherd knows that with all of the changes that have taken place in college football, rivalries don’t have quite the same meaning and importance that they used to. One of the best college football rivalries for quite some time was the battle between USC and Notre Dame.
Some classic matchups have occurred between the two teams. This year’s matchup in Week 8 is the 20th anniversary of the Bush Push, when Reggie Bush pushed quarterback Matt Leinart into the endzone for a touchdown late in the game to secure the Trojans’ win.
While Cowherd believes this is still a good college football rivalry, the FOX Sports host believes the Fighting Irish need this match a lot more than the Trojans.
“It’s a big deal,” Cowherd said when talking about the rivalry. “It is one of those traditional rivalries, but tradition, let’s be honest. You can pay high school players now. The portal, you can get 60-plus new players each year. Ask yourself about USC and Notre Dame. This relationship has become uneven. Consider USC Trump, and Notre Dame NATO. We need to sit down and talk. Notre Dame needs this game because they’re not 100% in a conference. They need USC.”
One thing that is correct is that the Fighting Irish absolutely do need to win this game if they are going to stay in the race for the College Football Playoff. They lost their two toughest games of the season against Miami and Texas A&M, and this could be the last remaining game for the Fighting Irish against a ranked team to help improve their resume.
While it may not be as important nationally as it used to be, the fans in Los Angeles and South Bend will both be ready for this game to kick off.
The 2 sides square off at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC on Saturday. Notre Dame is a 9.5-point favorite in the game, per BetMGM.
