Big Ten Announces 2026 Conference Schedule for the USC Trojans

The Big Ten Conference announced the USC Trojans’ 2026 football schedule today, giving fans an early look at what shapes up as a demanding yet intriguing season in Lincoln Riley’s third year in the expanded league.

The Trojans will open on Aug. 29 with a Week Zero game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum against an opponent to be named later. The early start provides USC with an additional bye week amid the Big Ten’s rigorous conference schedule.

Non-conference play stays at home for the first three weeks. On Sept. 5, Fresno State visits the Coliseum for the fifth time in series history. The Bulldogs are coached by Matt Entz, who previously served as USC’s assistant head coach for defense and linebackers. USC leads the all-time series 4-1 (original record 5-1, excluding one vacated win) and holds a dominant 37-1-1 record against Mountain West Conference teams overall (original 39-1-1).

The non-conference slate concludes Sept. 12 with a home matchup against Louisiana of the Sun Belt Conference—a first-ever meeting for the programs. The Ragin’ Cajuns are led by head coach Michael Desormeaux. USC is 1-0 against Sun Belt opponents, with their lone win coming against Arkansas State (55-6) in the Coliseum on Sept. 5, 2015.

Big Ten play begins on the road Sept. 19 at Rutgers in Piscataway, New Jersey—marking USC’s first visit to SHI Stadium. The Trojans defeated the Scarlet Knights 42-20 in Los Angeles in 2024 and hold a 1-0 series lead.

The home portion of conference play starts Sept. 26 when Oregon comes to the Coliseum for USC’s Big Ten home opener. USC leads the all-time series 38-24-2 (original 39-24-2, excluding one vacated win), though the Trojans fell 27-42 at Autzen Stadium in 2025.

Oct. 3 brings Washington back to Los Angeles. USC owns a 51-32-4 advantage in the series (original 52-32-4), despite a 21-26 loss in Seattle in 2024.

The road challenges continue Oct. 10 at Penn State under new head coach Matt Campbell. USC hasn’t played at Beaver Stadium since 1994 and leads the series 6-5 overall after a 30-33 overtime defeat in the Coliseum in 2024.

A bye week on Oct. 17 offers a breather before USC travels to Madison on Oct. 24 to face Wisconsin. The Trojans are 7-1 all-time against the Badgers and won their most recent meeting 38-21 in Los Angeles in 2024.

Halloween (Oct. 31) features a primetime showdown as Ohio State visits the Coliseum. USC holds a 13-10-1 edge in the series, with the last meeting resulting in a 7-24 loss in the 2017 Cotton Bowl.

Following the second bye on Nov. 7, the Trojans head to Bloomington, Indiana, on Nov. 14 to take on reigning national champion Indiana. USC is a perfect 4-0 against the Hoosiers and hasn’t visited since a 21-0 victory in 1981.

The regular-season home finale is Nov. 21 against Maryland, making its first appearance at the Coliseum. USC lost a close 28-29 game to the Terrapins in 2024, leaving the series at 0-1.

The campaign wraps Nov. 28 with the crosstown rivalry against UCLA and new head coach Bob Chesney at the Rose Bowl. USC leads the series 52-34-7 (original 54-34-7, excluding vacated wins from 2004 and 2005).

The Big Ten Football Championship Game is scheduled for Dec. 5, pitting the top two teams in the conference standings. Tiebreaking procedures will be released at a later date.