Since 2009, the thought has been that USC and Tennessee will be playing a home and home football series in 2021 and 2022. Now, that is not the case, as the series has ultimately fallen through.

According to the footnotes in a FBSchedules.com report from last month –which we at RoT just stumbled upon– the verbal agreement between USC and Tennessee never materialized into a formal contract.

With the Vols scheduling Pittsburgh for a home and home in those years and USC inking a two-for-one deal with BYU recently, it’s safe to say that the battle of Lane Kiffin’s scorned lovers is long gone.

It’s familiar territory for the Trojans’ relations with the SEC. Just two years ago, the same scenario played out as a verbal agreement with Texas A&M to play in 2015 and 2016 was revealed to have never been put to paper.

At the time, the Aggies claimed that the they needed to re-structure their future schedules after moving from the Big 12 to the SEC and that’s why a contract never came about. However, that did not stop A&M from scheduling UCLA in 2016 and 2017.

The vacancy left by A&M paved the way for USC to play Alabama in a one-off game next season. Could that happen with Tennessee too? Maybe.

As mentioned, the Trojans are set to host BYU in 2021. If recent trends count for anything, it’s a safe bet that the Trojans will fill out the non-conference schedule with Notre Dame and a mid-major.

SEE ALSO: USC adds three games to future schedules

Where it gets interesting is that USC plays BYU in 2019 and 2023 as well, leaving 2022 as a year with two vacancies that aren’t likely to be filled with home-and-homes due to there not being consecutive openings in the schedule.

So let the rumors begin that USC could face Michigan in Qatar as a precursor to the World Cup. We kid. Mostly.