I know that USC has decided to remove Notre Dame from its future schedule.
And as someone who grew up in Southern California and who experienced this rivalry not just on Saturdays, but in everyday life, I can’t help but feel that loss a little more deeply.
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Because this wasn’t just a game I grew up on.
It was part of the fabric.
It was the conversations at school. . . Divided loyalties among friends. . . the energy in the air during the rivalry week that you could feel no matter where you were.
It mattered.
And even if USC has decided to move forward, those of us who have lived it, who have felt what this rivalry meant, know that there was always something special between Notre Dame vs. USC.
Something bigger than schedules.
Something worth remembering.
And maybe that’s why this moment, this change, seems like the right time to look back.
Lou Holtz on the rivalry
A rivalry based on more than victories
There are rivalries in college football. . . and then there’s Notre Dame vs. USC.
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Two of the most historic programs in the history of sports. A series that dates back to 1926. A rivalry that has spanned generations, coasts and eras of greatness.
And if you ask anyone who has experienced it, from players to coaches to fans, they will tell you the same thing:
This one just feels different.
When Lou Holtz came to Notre Dame in 1986, he didn’t just inherit a football team.
He inherited a tradition.
A responsibility.
A standard.
And he knew right away that if his program was going to return to greatness, he had to understand the importance of one game in particular.
USC.
The test
In the video above, Coach Holtz shares something simple. . . but powerful.
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Every year before the USC game, he would test his players, and even his coaches.
It’s not a football test.
It’s not a game plan.
A test about the rivalry itself.
I wanted to know:
Did you understand what this game meant?
Did you understand the story?
The responsibility?
The people who came before them?
Because to Coach Holtz, if you didn’t understand that… . . You weren’t really prepared to play in it.
More than preparation
That’s what made Coach Holtz different.
He not only prepared his teams physically.
He prepared them mentally.
He prepared them emotionally.
He prepared them to carry something greater than themselves.
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Because Notre Dame football has never been solely about the moment.
It’s about legacy.
It’s about honoring the names, stories and standard that came before you and making sure you leave it better for those who come after.
Why it still matters
Even now, even as schedules change and traditions evolve, that lesson still resonates.
Because whether it’s Notre Dame – USC. . . or anything else in life. . .
The question is the same:
Do you understand what you are a part of?
Do you understand the story?
The responsibility?
The opportunity?
Coach Holtz believed that when you really understand those things… . .
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You appear different.
You prepare differently.
You perform differently.
The Notre Dame Value Stream
This is what I have heard over and over again in the stories I have been fortunate enough to collect.
From the players who lived it.
From the men who wore the shirt.
From those who learned under Coach Holtz.
The lessons stayed with them long after the final whistle.
Because at Notre Dame, the goal was never just to win a game.
It would become something more.
“You don’t go to Notre Dame to learn something; you go to Notre Dame to be someone.“~Lou Holtz
The takeaway
And maybe that’s the real takeaway from Coach Holtz’s “test.”
It wasn’t just USC.
It was about understanding.
About respect.
About taking a step into something bigger than yourself and being prepared for it.
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Because when you really understand what something means. . .
You don’t just play the game.
You honor him.
Greetings and GO IRISH!