IT RANKS RIGHT UP THERE USC-NOTRE DAME GAME REGAINS LUSTER IT'S BEEN MISSING.

Byline: Rich Hammond  Staff Writer

It couldn't get any bigger than No. 1 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 USC, college football's greatest intersectional rivals playing in late November 1988 for a chance at the national championship.

A Coliseum crowd of 93,829 watched the Fighting Irish dismantle the Trojans 27-10, highlighted by a 99-yard touchdown pass from Tony Rice to Rocket Ismail. Notre Dame went on to win the Fiesta Bowl and its 11th national title.

Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz called the game ``what college football is all about,'' but over the next decade the rivalry faded in national prominence, to the point where both teams had losing records when they met last October, a rivalry first.

One game does not make for a revival, but when No. 6 USC and No. 7 Notre Dame meet Saturday at the Coliseum, both teams will be ranked in the Associated Press Top 10 for the first time since 1989.

``It's going to mean something this year, and that adds some spice,'' said Joe Jares, a longtime Los Angeles reporter and USC historian. ``I think it's probably lost something over the years, but it's going to come back.

``If coaches (coaches Tyrone) Willingham and (Pete) Carroll are as good as they seem, it could come back pretty quickly. But does the rest of the country care about Florida and Georgia, or Miami and Florida, or Florida and Florida State?

``It's still one of the big rivalries out there.''

That's because no rivalry has the history to match USC-Notre Dame. Almost every school has a crosstown or in-state rival, but no rivalry covers the distance of the Trojans and the Fighting Irish.

It started in 1925, when the wives of a USC graduate assistant and Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne met on a train and laid the groundwork for a series between the two schools.

The selling point for Notre Dame was a chance to travel to the West Coast and play a game in sunny Southern California, as opposed to the brutal November weather in Northwest Indiana.

The series began in 1926 with a 13-12 Notre Dame victory in front of 74,378 at the Coliseum, and the early games back East were played at Chicago's Soldier Field.

Notre Dame Stadium opened in 1931, and the teams' inaugural meeting there was the first in an incredible series of dramatic games between the two programs.

A look at some of the most memorable:

--Nov. 21, 1931: Johnny Baker kicks a 33-yard field goal with one minute remaining as the Trojans end Notre Dame's 26-game winning streak 16-14. USC then beats Tulane in the Rose Bowl to cap an 11-1 season and win its second national championship.

--Dec. 4, 1948: A 2-yard touchdown run by Emil Sitko and an extra-point kick by Steve Oracko with 35 seconds remaining allows Notre Dame to pull out a 14-14 tie and improve its unbeaten streak to 27 games.

--Nov. 28, 1964: Notre Dame comes to the Coliseum undefeated and ranked No. 1 and holds a 17-0 halftime lead, but the Trojans rally to win 20-17 on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Craig Fertig to Rod Sherman with 1:33 remaining.

--Nov. 26, 1966: The Trojans already have clinched a spot in the Rose Bowl but are smashed 51-0 in a season in which the Fighting Irish outscore their opponents by a combined score of 362-38.

--Nov. 30, 1974: In arguably the most memorable college football game ever, the Trojans trail 24-6 at halftime but win 55-24 as Anthony Davis scores four touchdowns. USC then beats Ohio State in the Rose Bowl for the national championship.

``That was the most incredible sporting event I've ever witnessed,'' Jares said.

--Oct. 22, 1977: Notre Dame charges onto the field in green jerseys for the first time, and the Fighting Irish break a three-game losing streak to the Trojans with a 49-19 victory.

--Nov. 27, 1982: John Robinson announces his resignation at the end of the season and his half-joking hope that the Trojans ``win one for the fat man.'' Michael Harper scores on a 1-yard run with 48 seconds left, and USC wins 17-13.

--Nov. 29, 1986: Notre Dame rallies from a 20-9 halftime deficit and John Carney kicks a 19-yard field goal as time expires to give the Irish a 38-37 victory.

--Nov. 30, 1996: A missed extra point keeps the Trojans alive in the fourth quarter, and USC ends a 13-game winless streak as Rodney Sermons catches a touchdown pass from Brad Otton in overtime for a 27-20 USC victory.

--Oct. 16, 1999: Notre Dame scores 22 consecutive points in the second half for a 25-24 victory.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) When Notre Dame was coached by Lou Holtz (center), USC's battles with the Irish often proved memorable. Holtz lost his final game against USC in 1996.

Kevork Djansezian/Associated Press

(2) USC and Notre Dame will take the field Saturday, this time in a battle of Top 10 teams.

Beth A. Kaiser/Associated Press

Box:

USC-NOTRE DAME SINCE 1975