Pete Bevacqua give his thoughts on the USC rivalry and the CFP

Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua spoke with members of the media today, and gave his thoughts on the USC rivalry continuing along with changes to how the College Football Playoff will select teams.

While the CFP is important, keeping the annual game with the Trojans was at the top of his mind. Bevacqua said that “we want to play USC every year. I think it would be a horrible thing if we don’t. I think it would be bad for us … college football. And USC knows that,” as reported by Pete Sampson.

It’s a familiar tone that has been presented by many in South Bend including Marcus Freeman, they want this game to keep happening every season. The Irish AD wasn’t shy about exploring other options to keep the rivalry alive, as Bevacqua also said that they’d be willing to move the date around and even play the game at a neutral site. It very much looks like Notre Dame will do whatever it takes to continue the series.

As for the CFP, he likes it as is, with each power conference champion gaining an automatic bid with 11 at-large teams if expansion makes it to 16-teams. The Big Ten and SEC are trying to flex their muscle to make it easier for their conference teams to make it in, which doesn’t make much sense. Bevacqua wants teams to “earn it on the field,” which makes complete sense.

Overall, it looks like he knows exactly what he wants for the future of Notre Dame football and the sport in general, and it was great to see him reiterate those points as the season preparation begins on Thursday for the Irish.

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Publish date : 2025-07-30 11:01:00

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