{"id":466716,"date":"2025-12-23T13:58:20","date_gmt":"2025-12-23T13:58:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/466716\/"},"modified":"2025-12-23T13:58:20","modified_gmt":"2025-12-23T13:58:20","slug":"whos-to-blame-for-usc-notre-dame-football-scheduling-fiasco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/466716\/","title":{"rendered":"Who’s to blame for USC-Notre Dame football scheduling fiasco?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From Ryan Kartje<\/b><\/a>:<\/b> One of college football\u2019s longest-lasting and most storied rivalries will be taking an indefinite break starting in 2026.<\/p>\n

After months of negotiations<\/a> and public posturing<\/a>, USC<\/a> and Notre Dame failed to reach an agreement to continue their rivalry series.<\/p>\n

\u201cUSC and Notre Dame recognize how special our rivalry is to our fans, our teams, and college football, and our institutions will continue working towards bringing back The Battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh,\u201d the schools said in a joint statement Monday. \u201cThe rivalry between our two schools is one of the best in all of sport, and we look forward to meeting again in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Discussions between the rivals broke down in recent weeks, shortly after the College Football Playoff field was announced, a person familiar with negotiations not authorized to speak publicly told The Times.<\/p>\n

In the wake of Notre Dame being left out of the 12-team field, Yahoo reported that College Football Playoff officials came to an agreement with the school in March 2024 that assured the Irish of a playoff berth if they were ranked among the top 12 at season\u2019s end starting in 2026. That agreement, if applied this year, would have meant slotting Notre Dame in the field over Miami, which defeated the Irish to open the season.<\/p>\n

The two schools nearly announced a continuation of the series around the time of their October matchup in South Bend, Ind. A person familiar with the negotiations told The Times that USC was ready then to compromise and stick with the rivalry\u2019s usual cadence over the next two seasons, with Notre Dame coming to the Coliseum in 2026.<\/p>\n

But at the time USC officials were not aware Notre Dame reached an agreement with CFP officials that guaranteed the Irish a playoff spot if they finish in the top 12 of the final rankings starting in 2026, the person said. To USC officials the agreement felt like \u201ca material advantage\u201d to the Irish, whose place as an independent and scheduling flexibility already afforded them a considerable edge in positioning for the playoff over other programs, like USC, that are tethered to a conference.<\/p>\n

Continue reading here<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Blame Notre Dame for backing out of rivalry \"Pete <\/p>\n

Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua<\/p>\n

(Michael Reaves \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

From columnist Bill Plaschke<\/b><\/a>:<\/b> The world of college football may be awash in uncertainty, but the last several weeks have proven one thing beyond a shadow of a doubt.<\/p>\n

Nobody runs like Notre Dame.<\/p>\n

When the Irish got jobbed by the College Football Playoff<\/a> committee and insanely were left out of the CFP, they refused to play another game this season.<\/p>\n

Notre Dame ran from the Pop Tarts Bowl.<\/p>\n

Then came Monday\u2019s announcement that Notre Dame no longer will regularly play USC<\/a>, essentially ending a 100-year-old rivalry because the Irish didn\u2019t want to change the dates of the game.<\/p>\n

Notre Dame ran from the Trojans.<\/p>\n

Call them the Fightin\u2019 Chickens, a once-proud Irish program that demands acquiescence or it will take its ball and go home.<\/p>\n

Continue reading here<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Nico Iamaleava agrees to return to UCLA \"UCLA <\/p>\n

UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava looks to pass against Nebraska on Nov. 8.<\/p>\n

(Gina Ferazzi\/Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

From Ben Bolch<\/b><\/a>:<\/b> Bob Chesney<\/a> didn\u2019t have to go far to secure his most important player.<\/p>\n

He was already on campus.<\/p>\n

Nico Iamaleava<\/a> has agreed to return to UCLA<\/a> for next season, giving the Bruins a top-level quarterback as part of their new coach\u2019s bid for a quick turnaround from a 3-9 season under his predecessor and an interim coach.<\/p>\n

Iamaleava announced his intentions on Instagram, posting a highlight video alongside a caption reading, \u201cNO PLACE LIKE HOME. Back with my brothers. Same vision. Same goals. Same grind. Locked in. Time to work!\u201d<\/p>\n

The possible benefits go beyond improving Iamaleava\u2019s NFL draft stock with a strong season. Another important plus could be the reputational boost associated with staying put after Iamaleava left Tennessee during spring practice in 2025 as part of an emotionally charged falling out with the Volunteers that sparked widespread criticism<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Continue reading here<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

ALSO: <\/b>Bob Chesney is bringing his top two James Madison coordinators with him to UCLA<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Chargers clinch playoff berth \"Chargers <\/p>\n

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert warms up before a win over the Eagles on Dec. 8.<\/p>\n

(Robert Gauthier \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

From Sam Farmer<\/b><\/a>:<\/b> The Chargers<\/a> got an early Christmas present Monday night courtesy of San Francisco, and they\u2019re still hoping for more under the tree.<\/p>\n

With the 49ers beating the Indianapolis Colts, 48-27, the Chargers secured a postseason wild-card berth. The AFC West title is still in play too, and even the top seed in the AFC.<\/p>\n

The 11-4 Chargers are riding a four-game winning streak and have won seven of eight, including a 34-17 victory at Dallas on Sunday<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Continue reading here<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman suspended \"Chargers <\/p>\n

Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman walks off the field after a win over the Tennessee Titans on Nov. 2.<\/p>\n

(Stew Milne \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

From Sam Farmer<\/b><\/a>:<\/b> The Chargers<\/a> will be without starting linebacker Denzel Perryman<\/a> for the remainder of the regular season.<\/p>\n

The NFL on Monday suspended Perryman without pay for two games for repeated violations of rules designed to protect player health and safety, including an incident during Sunday\u2019s win over the Dallas Cowboys<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In the second quarter Perryman was penalized for unnecessary roughness after delivering a blow to the helmet of Ryan Flournoy<\/a> while the Cowboys receiver was on the ground following a catch. The play violated a rule prohibiting the use of any part of the helmet or face mask to initiate forcible contact to an opponent\u2019s head or neck area.<\/p>\n

Continue reading here<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Why the Rams fired their special teams coordinator \"Rams <\/p>\n

Rams special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn interacts with coach Sean McVay during a game against the Seattle Seahawks in November 2024. Blackburn was fired by the Rams following the team\u2019s loss to the Seahawks on Thursday night.<\/p>\n

(Steph Chambers \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

From Gary Klein<\/b><\/a>:<\/b> Rams<\/a> coach Sean McVay<\/a> worked with Ben Kotwica<\/a> for three NFL seasons in Washington when McVay was the team\u2019s offensive coordinator and Kotwica was the special teams coordinator.<\/p>\n

In the aftermath of McVay\u2019s firing of special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn<\/a>, Kotwica will oversee the unit, McVay said Monday during a videoconference with reporters.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know his capacity, I know the accountability, I know the core belief that he has,\u201d McVay said of Kotwica, who has been a Rams assistant this season after working as the Denver Broncos defensive coordinator the previous two. \u201cThis late in the year, you\u2019re not naive to, you\u2019re going to keep a lot of the foundational things.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I think there\u2019s some things that we want to have reflected in our style of play, and the way we go about our overall approach that I think will be improved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Continue reading here<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

NFL scores<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

NFL standings<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Deandre Ayton set to return for Lakers<\/p>\n

From Broderick Turner<\/b><\/a>:<\/b> As Lakers coach JJ Redick<\/a> talked after practice Monday about the long list of players who would be listed as day-to-day for Tuesday night\u2019s game at Phoenix, he at least knew that center Deandre Ayton<\/a> will be back after missing two games because of left elbow soreness.<\/p>\n

Redick said Luka Doncic<\/a> (left leg contusion), Austin Reaves <\/a>(mild left calf strain) and Rui Hachimura<\/a> (right groin soreness) were day-to-day. Gabe Vincent (lower back tightness), however, is expected to be out longer.<\/p>\n

A few hours later, Reaves was upgraded to questionable, while Doncic, Hachimura and Vincent were officially ruled out for the Suns game.<\/p>\n

Redick said Doncic was injured when he was kneed by Clippers<\/a> guard Bagdan Bogdanovic during Saturday night\u2019s loss at Intuit Dome.<\/p>\n

Continue reading here<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

NBA scores<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

NBA standings<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

LA28 track to meet revenue goals for 2028 Olympics<\/p>\n

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen<\/b><\/a>:<\/b> John Slusher shouldn\u2019t admit this. When the former Nike executive signed on to oversee LA28\u2019s commercial operations last year, he looked at the private organizing committee\u2019s lofty financial goals with some concern. Sales were \u201cincredibly slow.\u201d There was momentum around the first Olympics in L.A.<\/a> in more than 40 years, but not many results.<\/p>\n

Yet.<\/p>\n

Weeks after celebrating his one-year anniversary with the group responsible for organizing and delivering the 2028 Games, Slusher and his team delivered a $2-billion present.<\/p>\n

After announcing 15 partnerships in 2025, LA28 met its goal of reaching $2 billion in corporate sponsorship by this year, which Slusher said puts the group well on track to meet or exceed its $2.52-billion goal for domestic partnerships that serves as the largest line item funding the 2028 Games.<\/p>\n

Continue reading here<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Kings struggle to stop Blue Jackets on power play in loss<\/p>\n

From the Associated Press<\/b><\/a>:<\/b> Mason Marchment scored two power-play goals, Kirill Marchenko had one, and the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Kings 3-1<\/a> on Monday night.<\/p>\n

Jet Greaves made 23 saves and Damon Severson had two assists as Columbus snapped a four-game road losing streak.<\/p>\n

Andrei Kuzmenko<\/a> scored and Anton Forsberg<\/a> made 27 saves as the Kings<\/a> were held to fewer than three goals for the sixth straight game.<\/p>\n

Columbus was without defenseman Zach Werenski, who is day to day with a lower body injury sustained blocking a shot against the Ducks on Saturday. Werenski leads the Blue Jackets in goals, assists and points, and his 14 goals are tied with Washington\u2019s Jakob Chychrun for most in the NHL by a defenseman.<\/p>\n

Continue reading here<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Kings-Blue Jackets box score<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

With Leo Carlsson out, Ducks fall to Kraken<\/p>\n

From the Associated Press<\/b><\/a>:<\/b> Jordan Eberle scored the tiebreaking goal midway through the third period and added an empty-netter in the final minute, and the Seattle Kraken beat the Ducks 3-1<\/a> on Monday night.<\/p>\n

Frederick Gaudreau also scored and Kaapo Kakko had two assists for the Kraken. Philipp Grubauer stopped 39 shots.<\/p>\n

Mikael Granlund<\/a> scored for the Pacific Division-leading Ducks<\/a> and Lukas Dostal<\/a> had 18 saves.<\/p>\n

Matty Beniers set up the go-ahead goal when he slid the puck past defender Radko Gudas and onto the stick of a wide-open Eberle, who snapped a shot from the left circle into the upper-right corner of the net for a 2-1 Kraken lead with 9:56 left.<\/p>\n

Continue reading here<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Ducks-Kraken box score<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

NHL scores<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

NHL standings<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

This day in sports history<\/p>\n

Montreal\u2019s Howie Morenz scores his 251st goal to become the NHL\u2019s career goal-scoring leader. Morenz\u2019s goal caps the Canadiens\u2019 3-0 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.<\/p>\n

1951 \u2014 Norm Van Brocklin\u2019s 73-yard touchdown pass to Tom Fears in the fourth quarter gives the Los Angeles Rams a 24-17 victory over the Cleveland Browns for the NFL title.<\/p>\n

1962 \u2014 Tommy Brooker kicks a 25-yard field goal 17:54 into overtime, giving the Dallas Texans a 20-17 victory over Houston for the AFL title.<\/p>\n

1972 \u2014 The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Oakland Raiders 13-7 on Franco Harris\u2019 \u201cImmaculate Reception,\u201d in an AFC Divisional playoff game. On 4th-and-10 on their own 40-yard line with 22 seconds remaining and no time outs. Terry Bradshaw, under pressure, throws a pass over the middle to Oakland\u2019s 35-yard line which is deflected by Oakland\u2019s Jack Tatum. Running back Franco Harris catches the deflection at the Raiders\u2019 43-yard line and runs down the left sideline for a touchdown.<\/p>\n

1978 \u2014 Bryan Trottier has five goals and three assists to lead the New York Islanders to a 9-4 victory over the Rangers. Trottier sets an NHL record with three goals and three assists in the second period.<\/p>\n

1982 \u2014 Chaminade, an NAIA school, beats top-ranked Virginia and 7-foot-4 center Ralph Sampson, 77-72, for one of the biggest upsets in college basketball history. The game is played at Honolulu\u2019s International Center in front of 3,383 fans.<\/p>\n

1996 \u2014 Barry Sanders of the Detroit Lions rushes for 175 yards in a 24-14 loss to San Francisco to finish with 1,553 yards for the season. It\u2019s Sanders\u2019 third straight season with at least 1,500 yards rushing, a first in the NFL.<\/p>\n

2007 \u2014 The New England Patriots set an NFL record with their 15th win, the best start in league history, with a 28-7 victory over the Miami Dolphins 28-7.<\/p>\n

2007 \u2014 Chris Johnson sets an NCAA bowl record with 408 all-purpose yards, and Ben Hartman kicks a 34-yard field goal as time expires to give East Carolina a 41-38 victory over No. 24 Boise State in the Hawaii Bowl.<\/p>\n

2008 \u2014 The Boston Celtics set a franchise record with their 19th consecutive victory, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 110-91. The Celtics improve to 27-2 \u2014 the best start for a two-loss team in NBA history. The 19-game winning streak breaks the Celtics record set in 1981-82.<\/p>\n

2012 \u2014 New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees passes for 446 yards and three touchdowns in the Saints\u2019 34-31 overtime win at Dallas. Brees, with 4,781 passing yards, becomes the first player in NFL history to record at least 4,500 yards in three consecutive seasons.<\/p>\n

2013 \u2014 Andrew Luck throws for 205 yards to break a single-season rookie record, and his touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne late in the fourth quarter puts Indianapolis in the playoffs with a 20-13 win over Kansas City. Luck, with 4,183 yards, surpasses Cam Newton\u2019s year-old record of 4,051 yards passing by a rookie in the second quarter.<\/p>\n

2022 \u2014 Washington Capitals center Alex Ovechkin scores two goals to move past Gordie Howe on most NHL career goals list in 4-1 win over visiting Winnipeg Jets.<\/p>\n

Compiled by the Associated Press<\/p>\n

Until next time…<\/p>\n

That concludes today\u2019s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you\u2019d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com<\/a>. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From Ryan Kartje: One of college football\u2019s longest-lasting and most storied rivalries will be taking an indefinite break…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":466717,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5123],"tags":[1578,1582,276,2442,56587,10006,2961,8604,224,2444,5337,50,14852,12335,3007,3780,637,5618,56586,2071],"class_list":{"0":"post-466716","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-associated-press","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-california","11":"tag-dodgers","12":"tag-jason-preston","13":"tag-kings","14":"tag-la","15":"tag-lakers","16":"tag-los-angeles","17":"tag-los-angeles-times","18":"tag-losangeles","19":"tag-news","20":"tag-sandy-alcantara","21":"tag-taylor-fritz","22":"tag-team","23":"tag-teams","24":"tag-times","25":"tag-tuesday","26":"tag-ucla-olympic-sports","27":"tag-wimbledon"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115769242743287736","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466716","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=466716"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466716\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/466717"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=466716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=466716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=466716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}