"Entering a particularly consequential season for coach Lincoln Riley at USC, a brutal Big Ten slate won't cut the Trojans or their coach any slack in 2026. That much was clear long before the Big Ten officially released its schedule for next season Tuesday. USC already knew it would face the conference's top three teams from a season ago (Indiana, Ohio State and Oregon). But the official unveiling of the slate would further solidify just how grueling the climb could be for USC next season."
"Oregon will face Portland State, an FCS team, a week before coming to USC on Sept. 26. Ohio State will have a bye week before its Halloween meeting with USC at the Coliseum, and so will the defending champ, Indiana, which USC will face in Bloomington on Nov. 14."
"The nonconference schedule is still being finalized, after talks broke down between USC and Notre Dame over the future of their rivalry series. But with two byes already baked into the Trojans' schedule, a person familiar with the situation but not authorized to speak publicly told The Times that USC plans to schedule its season opener during Week Zero, with a home game on Aug. 29. That timing drastically cuts down USC's options for finding a fill-in opponent to open the season against at the Coliseum. In order to play in Week Zero in its home stadium and not internationally or at a neutral site, USC must secure an exemption from the NCAA. That probably limits the Trojans to a team that faces Hawaii in 2026 - and thus gets an exemption from the NCAA to play an additional game - or means playing a Football Championship Series team, which USC has notably never done."
USC enters 2026 with a brutal Big Ten schedule that includes last season's top three teams: Indiana, Ohio State and Oregon. Key games include Oregon at USC on Sept. 26, Ohio State at the Coliseum on Halloween and Indiana in Bloomington on Nov. 14. The Trojans also travel to Rutgers, Penn State and Wisconsin. Two built-in bye weeks have prompted plans for a Week Zero home opener on Aug. 29, but that requires an NCAA exemption and limits acceptable opponents to teams facing Hawaii or an FCS opponent, options USC has not typically used.
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