2005 USC Vs. Notre Dame Football Game - The Aftermath

The Aftermath

The game was said to live up to its hype and was the most watched regular season college football game in nine years with 30 million households watching. The Trojans kept their winning streaks alive and remained first in both national rankings with a 6–0 record. The Irish, having lost four games in a row at Notre Dame Stadium and having a 4–2 record for the season, remained 9th in the AP Poll and dropped only three places to 12th in the Coaches Poll. USC would go on to win the rest of its regular season games, and playing in the 2006 Rose Bowl to defend their national championship. However, they would fall to Texas. The Irish also won the rest of their regular season games and accepted a berth in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl, where they were beaten by Ohio State.

USC continued to dominate the rivalry, winning the next four meetings to make it eight in a row versus the Irish. Notre Dame finally ended that losing streak in 2010 with a 20–16 victory in Los Angeles; USC's recent dominance, coupled with Notre Dame's earlier 13-game unbeaten streak over USC (1983–95) illustrates the cyclical nature of the Notre Dame–USC football rivalry over the long term.