Oregon Faces Early Test Against 'Archenemy'

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The Oregon Ducks have a challenging schedule to begin the season and end the campaign.

After a non-conference schedule that includes Boise State and Oklahoma State, the Ducks will begin their Big Ten schedule at USC on Sept. 26. 

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning is facing pressure to win the national championship with one of the best rosters in college football. USC head coach Lincoln Riley could be on the hot seat if his team fails to make the College Football Playoff.

ESPN named USC as an archenemy for Oregon. The Ducks have battled the Trojans for college football supremacy in the West.

"There are perhaps more historic villains for the Ducks than USC, especially when you consider their biggest regional rival up in Seattle," Paolo Uggetti wrote. "But since the turn of the century, Oregon has been chasing down the Trojans.

"In this modern era of college football (since the College Football Playoff's inception in 2014) and especially since Pete Carroll left USC in 2010, Oregon has been the more accomplished program yet still gets perceived — particularly by USC and its longstanding history — as new-money winners."

USC leads the all-time series 38-24-2. The Ducks have dominated the series in the last two decades, winning nine of their last 13 meetings and four in a row.

The contests between USC and Oregon are usually about more than pride, as the winner typically makes a run for the CFP and conference championship.

"That's why every time the two have faced off over the past few years, something beyond a simple victory seems to be on the line," Uggetti said.

"Those in Eugene want to beat USC because, for so long, it was the paragon of the Pac-12, the bully and the giant to tumble. Now? The Ducks might find themselves in a similar position."

That history makes September's meeting between Oregon and USC all the more important for Lanning. A win would be a crushing blow to Riley and the Trojans. A loss would let USC back into the national championship conversation at the expense of doing damage to a promising season for the Ducks.

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