The USC series was not the first non-confernece game Peterson scheduled when he took office in 2003. I remember this clearly because KSU had just come off a home and home series against USC in 2002 and 2003 and USC had already Nebraska on the schedule. Bill is the guy who had USC scheduled, not Pederson.
*Note the date of the article
May 4, 2001
Football season is still several months away, but work on football scheduling never stops.
Earlier this spring, for example, USC signed a contract for a home-and-home series with Arkansas in 2005 and 2006. This continues our philosophy of trying to put together the best schedules we can.
Next season, for example, besides Notre Dame, we'll play Kansas State, which went 11-3 last season and was ranked eighth in the final poll. That game will take place in the Coliseum on September 8.
In 2002, we'll play three major intersectional games, in addition to Notre Dame, facing Auburn, Colorado and Kansas State in a row at the start of the season. Considering the strength of the Pac-10, I don't think anyone in the country will play a tougher schedule than USC will that year.
In 2003, we'll open the season with Auburn and BYU.
In the next few years we'll also play Nebraska (in 2006-2007), Ohio State (2008-2009), and, of course, Arkansas.
I think it's important to play quality opponents. As we strive to restore the greatness of our football program under new coach Pete Carroll, we want to do it against the best competition.
Players come to USC not only to be the best, but to play the best.
That, of course, is one of the reasons we continue to play Notre Dame every year.
This has been the country's No. 1 intersectional series for 75 years, but, when you line up against Notre Dame, you better be ready to play. The Irish have the best winning percentage in college football history.
Of course, it's good for college football when schools maintain all of their traditional rivalries. This is not always easy. For example, teams in the Pac-10 play eight conference games every year, skipping one opponent to make the schedule work.
Obviously, we will never skip UCLA, but we also have worked it out so we will never miss Stanford or California, two schools we first played in 1905 and 1915. I think that's important.
Our goal then is to perpetuate our long-term rivalries and play the best intersectional opponents we can find. That's a recipe for a great schedule.
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