they do it so the weather isn't a factor. when you play somebody evey year for over 70 years, each team is willing to accomadate the other. Why do you think that USC games played in Cali are always the last game? So the ND fans have a nice place to escape the November weather in the Midwest. It makes sense to me!
The weather was the excuse more than the reason.
Back in the days when teams travelled by train, the ND/USC game was played in late November or early December regardless of who was home team. The Thanksgiving Holiday might well have been a factor in scheduling for travel to or from although Thanksgiving wasn't a 4 day holiday back then. The game was played late in the season since the series started in 1926. It was frequently the last game but was not always last as about 10 times or 1/3 of the time in the first 30 games Army, SMU or sometime two teams played ND later. ND didn't become the USC's last game on a regular basis until after WWII.
ND fans didn't complain about the weather it was a USC coach that complained it gave ND an unfair advantage. In the late 50's there was a game with bad weather in South Bend, cold (not sure of snow), USC was ranked and ND wasn't (plus ND had Kuharich), ND won again. The SC coach claimed ND won because of the weather. He claimed the weather gave ND an inherent advantage. When you looked at the record he appeared to have a point USC was only 3-11-0, 0.214, when playing in South Bend or Chicago late in the year. However USC's record in California against ND was only 6-9-2 at the same time of the year although with warmer weather. Plus, three times USC was the home team in consecutive years, '47-'48, '50-'51, and '55-'56 going 3-2-1 in those years with the home field edge.
What really lead to the rescheduling while SC was whining about the weather was that they had lost 7 in a row in South Bend and worse were winless against Brennan and Kuharich in South Bend. It had to be the weather! It just couldn't be the coaching
1961 was the first USC game played in the midwest early in the season, October 14th, 3rd game of the year. After complaining about an unfair advantage and ND agreeing to reschedule the USC game for early in the year when played in South Bend, the ND Mystique kicked in - the weather was frigid. ND rolled up over 300 yds rushing while USC was held to -4. ND sacked the Trojan QB for 128 yds. ND won 30-0. ND's 5th straight win over SC. The zenith of Kuharich's career, his second consecutive shutout over a young SC coach named John McKay.
Since the ND home game has been moved to October, USC is 8-14-1, 0.370 a big improvement from the pre-'61 period when they were 3-11-0, 0.214.
The difference between 0.214 and .370 is an increase of 5 wins. And 3 of those 5 wins in South Bend came since Holtz retired.
USC verses ND Coaches in South Bend in Oct
Kuharich 0-1
Devore-01
Parshegian 2-2-1
Devine 2-1
Faust 1-2
Holtz 0-5
Davie 1-2
Willingham 1-1
Weis 1-0
The difference hasn't been the weather. It's primarily been McKay and Carroll.
