Lincoln Riley Replaced Marcus Freeman With San Jose State

Lincoln Riley just ended one of college football's most historic rivalries — and it already backfired.

For the first time since 1926 (outside of COVID), USC and Notre Dame didn't play each other in 2026. Riley chose to drop Marcus Freeman's Fighting Irish from the schedule and replace them with San Jose State, a team that went 3-9 last season. USC paid $1.4 million for the Spartans to show up — and on opening day, the Coliseum was roughly a third empty.

In this episode, we break down:

- Why USC and Notre Dame really couldn't agree to keep the series alive

- The scheduling strategy behind ditching marquee non-conference games for College Football Playoff positioning

- The empty-stadium reaction and what it says about fan trust in the program

- USC's full 2026 non-conference slate — San Jose State, Fresno State, and Louisiana — and why it's drawing criticism

- What this means for the Notre Dame rivalry going forward, with the series set to resume in 2030

Is Lincoln Riley protecting USC's Playoff resume, or exposing how little Trojan fans actually want to watch? We give our verdict.

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