Micah Huff ranks toughest matchups for USC football this season

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The USC Trojans enter this upcoming season more talented and with better coaching across the board. In theory, this season should be the best one in the era of Lincoln Riley. Unfortunately for the Trojans, they have their toughest schedule yet with games against the best of the best in the Big Ten Conference. It will be up to the Trojans on whether their schedule will negatively affect this season.

Here are my rankings for the toughest matchups for USC this season:

1 — at Indiana Week 12

Curt Cignetti and the defending national champions are entering this season without too much of a talent drop-off. The Hoosiers will not have #1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza behind center this season, but they will have experienced former TCU quarterback Josh Hoover. Many Hoosiers are returning on the defense, and with the coaching job Cignetti has done the last two years, it is safe to assume the Hoosiers ‘ dominance is not going anywhere. This will more than likely be chalked up as a loss, but if Riley can pull off a win, it will be the biggest win in the Riley era.

2 — vs Ohio State Week 11

There are not too many teams that can match the Ohio State Buckeyes talent in the country. USC is one of those teams. Having this match at home bodes for a more likely upset than vs Indiana. Yet still, the Trojans will be up against one of the most complete football teams in the country. The Buckeyes have made SEC teams look inferior, and other good Big Ten teams look inferior. This game will decide what team USC is.

3 — vs Oregon Week 5

The Oregon Ducks will always be an opponent for USC that provided great intrigue. This is a long-standing rivalry, and Lincoln Riley has to prove he can knock off Dan Lanning’s Ducks. The Ducks have been the better team since the transition to the Big Ten. USC has not proved they can be that same kind of team just yet. Having this game at home also helps, but this game still will be a make-or-break one for the season. This will be the first test on the schedule, and a win could skyrocket USC to have the confidence needed to knock off even bigger foes down the road.

4 — at Penn State Week 8

There is a great chance that this game will be Penn State’s infamous white-out game. Already playing at Beaver Stadium is a hostile environment, but being a whiteout adds even more difficulty. Penn State finished the season strong and added a credible new head coach in Matt Campbell. There is no doubt this game will not be a layup victory. USC will have to be at its best, and Jayden Maiava will have to lead the Trojans’ offense to one of their biggest wins in his tenure as starting quarterback. USC has more talent, but this will be a scrappy game that has all the potential to be a trap game.

5 — at Wisconsin Week 9

Luke Fickell turned what was a disastrous season into a season that had an optimistic ending. The Badgers‘ defense will be no joke once again. There should be an upgrade at the quarterback position for the Badgers with Colton Joseph from Old Dominion. This could be another trap game, but it will be a nice two-week period to see what this year’s USC Trojans team is made of. USC will be the more talented team, but can Lincoln Riley be the best coach in this game? Both games in Week 8 and 9 will be must-win games for the Trojans and could decide whether or not they make it to the College Football Playoff.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC football’s toughest games in 2026 Big Ten season

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