Notre Dame linebacker Marist Liufau, left, and defensive lineman Rylie Mills, right, wrap up Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams during the second half on Oct. 14, 2023, in South Bend, Ind. (AP file photo)

LAS VEGAS — All the reshuffling of schedules, conferences and playoff formats in college football has placed one of the sport’s best traditions in peril: the USC-Notre Dame game.

The contract for a rivalry that dates to 1926 expires after their game in 2026.

Both schools have expressed a willingness to lock down more games, but differences over how many appear to be holding up the negotiations.

USC’s move to the Big Ten gave the Trojans less flexibility on their non-conference schedule. Big Ten teams have nine conference games and only three open slots.

Speaking at Big Ten media days Thursday, Trojans coach Lincoln Riley said he was, of course, hopeful that the series will continue. But not at any cost.

“I want to play the game. Absolutely. It’s one of the reasons I came here,” Riley said. “But, also, my allegiance and my loyalty is not to Notre Dame, and it’s not to anybody else. I’m the head football coach at USC, and I’m going to back USC.”

Some of the uncertainty revolves around the College Football Playoff.

The Trojans have lost six of the last seven against Notre Dame. If CFP leaders decide to award four automatic bids to the Big Ten, which is the conference’s preference, a long-term deal to play the Irish might be more palatable to USC. A system with more at-large bids, however, would make it more difficult, from a CFP standpoint, to absorb a non-conference loss.

UCLA’s Foster encore

If UCLA improves on the field as much as coach DeShaun Foster did behind the mic at Big Ten media days, this could be a good year for the Bruins.

Foster spoke Thursday and made fun of his 2024 appearance, which included a cringeworthy 72-second opening statement highlighted by this observation about the program he was taking over: “I’m sure you guys don’t know much about UCLA, our football program, but we’re in LA.”

In heading to the lectern Thursday, Foster didn’t shy from that moment. He acknowledged he took some ribbing from players and others after last year’s effort.

“Last year I stood up here and reminded everyone that UCLA is in L.A., which, looking back, might have been the most obvious geography lesson in Big Ten history,” Foster said. “But you know what? Important things are worth stating clearly. We are in L.A., and we’re proud to be in L.A.”

Northwestern video vibes

Preston Stone is a good ol’ Texas boy who starred in high school for Parish Episcopal and then spent four years at SMU. After entering the transfer portal following last season, however, he finally got to visit a team he once admired from afar — behind a video-game controller when he was 11 years old.

“For absolutely no reason whatsoever, when I was a little kid playing NCAA 14, I would always be Northwestern,” Stone said. “They had really cool black uniforms and they had a fast quarterback in Kain Colter, who I used to love playing with in the game.”

So, after touring the campus and meeting Wildcats coach David Braun and offensive coordinator Zach Lujan, Stone was sold on transferring from the Lone Star State to Evanston, Illinois.

“Facilities are incredible, I think we have the best indoor in the whole country,” Stone said.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football