Feels like a trap
Yes Notre Dame fans — the Battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh Trophy is in danger of being lost to history thanks to cowardly thinking and cowardly behavior by the USC Trojans. It’s been one of the hottest talking points over the last few weeks for a reason… Southern Cal desperately wants to show how yelloe their yellow really is.
There have been some rumblings about the rivalry and its future, and those rumblings appear to be that USC would likely need/want concessions to make this game stay an annual rivalry. A few of the options are:
- Game played as season opener.
- Game becomes a neutral site game.
- Game is only played 3 out of every 5 years.
As much as we as Notre Dame fans collectively piss and moan about USC never having to come to South Bend in November — I actually don’t mind the current setup of the Irish going to California in November and the Trojans coming to South Bend in October. It’s been that way for generations, and it’s fine.
But, I do wonder how much Notre Dame should bend to keep the series. Maybe they can bend a little:
- I’d be fine with it as the season opener every year — as long as it was played on campus.
- Never ever ever should this game be played on a neutral site unless it’s in the playoffs.
- It needs to be annual. Every. Single. Year.
So… I gave a little, and it’s a little that I think should be more than good enough to keep the series. Unless, of course, you’re just running scared like a little boy that messed up the brisket (again).
What do you think?