USC AT NOTRE DAME in South Bend, Indiana in 2007 (Wikipedia/Bobek Ha’Eri).

Tradition in football is not only getting trampled, it’s getting kicked to the curb, so to speak.

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that there’s a chance – a strong one – that the annual intersectional clash between USC and Notre Dame might not be annual after all … or at all.

According to Ryan Kartje, it’s all about the constantly-evolving College Football Playoff. The issue appears to be how many automatic qualifiers will be guaranteed to the Big 12 (actually the Big 16, but who’s going to quibble about that).

That conference is so packed with strong programs – having gutted the Pac-Whatever – that it could be that the fifth-best in the nation could still end up playing in the Bakersfield Petroleum bowl.

Apparently, Notre Dame wants a long-term extension of the series, which is usually one of the most closely-watched college football games of the season. But – as reported – the Trojans are playing things a little cagey, wanting just a year-to-year deal, like a month-to-month rent on an apartment.

Already many rivalries have been sundered in this menudo of conference realignment. For 2025, USC will only keep Notre Dame and UCLA on its menu, while taking on such powerhouses as Missouri State and Georgia Southern.

The Bruins will returns only USC and Washington and appears to actually have a tougher schedule.

This whirlwind of conference-cracking has filtered down to the high school level. For example, Garden Grove and Rancho Alamitos high school football teams played a rivalry game every year since 1958, but lately the two schools have been strangers, gridiron-wise.

On the other hand, some “big games” have lost their luster. For years Edison and Fountain Valley grappled for the Sunset League title, but the Barons haven’t won that meeting since 2004.

I like rivalries. In the Georgia Tech school fight song, one of the most-cheered parts is “to hell with Georgia.” Can you imagine the Trojan faithful shouting “to hell with the Michigan State Bears, whoever they are”?