USC Trojans' Schedule Gauntlet Exposed in Preseason AP Top 25 Poll

USC Trojans' Schedule Gauntlet Exposed in Preseason AP Top 25 Poll

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USC Trojans' Schedule Gauntlet Exposed in Preseason AP Top 25 Poll
Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches from the sidelines.
Oct 21, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches from the sidelines against the Utah Utes in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The preseason AP Top 25 Poll, released on Monday morning, features eight Big Ten teams, with USC ranked No. 14 alongside BYU.

Of the eight ranked Big Ten teams, the Trojans will face off against five of them in the 2026 season. Three will be at home against No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Oregon, and No. 17 Washington, while two will be on the road at No. 6 Indiana and No. 18 Penn State.

The Trojans will play the five ranked teams in a six-game stretch starting on Sept. 26 with Oregon then Washington at home. They will follow it with back-to-back road games against Penn State and unranked Wisconsin before hosting Ohio State on Halloween. Defending national champions Indiana will host the Trojans in Bloomington on Nov. 14.

A Potential Early College GameDay Appearance

USC Trojans Oregon Ducks Big Ten Lincoln Riley Jayden Maiava Caleb Williams Dan Lanning NFL Draft College Football
Southern California's Jayden Maiava, center, scrambles against Oregon during the second half Nov. 22, 2025. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard

Week 4 has USC hosting second ranked Oregon at the Coliseum. Both teams are expected to come into the late September game unbeaten. USC will play non-conference opponents San Jose State, Fresno State and Louisiana before opening Big Ten Conference play in a road game at Rutgers.

Meanwhile, Oregon has Boise State, Oklahoma State, and Portland State on the docket before their trip to Los Angeles.

College Gameday set during the 2026 Rose Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at Rose Bowl Stadium.
Jan 1, 2026; Pasadena, CA, USA; From left: Desmond Howard, Rece Davis, Pat McAfee, Nick Saban and Kirk Herbstreit on the ESPN College Gameday set during the 2026 Rose Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The shifts in the AP Rankings could have USC possibly ranked inside the top 10 by then, meaning ESPN College GameDay could very well pick USC as its week 4 venue.

It's been almost 13 years since GameDay last came to USC's campus. The previous was on November 16, 2013, when unranked USC faced off and beat No. 4 Stanford, when both were still members of the Pac-12 Conference.

Reality of Road Games

USC Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) warms up prior to the game against the Michigan Wolverines.
Oct 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) warms up prior to the game against the Michigan Wolverines at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Trojans will make a return to Happy Valley on Oct. 10 for the first time since 1994.

While it has yet to be confirmed, many people are speculating Penn State's game against USC to be their annual White Out game.

White Out games at Beaver Stadium have been a staple for the Nittany Lions faithful since the tradition officially began in 2004. Penn State is 13-8 in White Out games, including six consecutive victories since 2019.

This would also be Penn State head coach Matt Campbell's first White Out game, who took the job after James Franklin's firing last year.

Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts in the first half against the LSU.
Sep 1, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts in the first half against the LSU Tigers at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

USC, meanwhile, has struggled in road games. The Trojans lost four regular season games on the road in 2025. A Rutgers road game win could help booster some confidence for the Trojans but Campbell's squad, which consists of 24 Iowa State transfers where he last coached, is surely looking to make a statement win.

Lincoln Riley and company will need to find a way to avoid the over 106,000 crowd noise to avoid a loss.

The Trojans will have a week off between their Halloween Ohio State game and their trip to Bloomington against Indiana.

If the Trojans can come out of Happy Valley with a win and find a way to hang with Ohio State, it will be the perfect preparation for the Indiana game.

Indiana University students celebrate the winning touchdown during the Indiana versus Illinois football game.
Indiana University students celebrate the winning touchdown during the Indiana versus Illinois football game at Memorial Stadium on Friday, Sept. 2, 2022.

Iu Il 2h Students Cele | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers quickly rebuilt the pieces that left Indiana for the NFL. TCU transfer Josh Hoover will fill the void left by Fernando Mendoza's departure. Notable figures also include Michigan State transfer Nick Marsh and returners Charlie Becker and Carter Smith.

Indiana is currently undefeated under Curt Cignetti when playing in Memorial Stadium with a 15-game winning streak.

Riley and the Trojans face a challenging schedule, with expectations higher than ever entering his fifth season at the helm. With the season opener just two weeks away, this could be USC's biggest season yet, as all eyes turn toward a potential College Football Playoff run.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/usc as USC Trojans' Schedule Gauntlet Exposed in Preseason AP Top 25 Poll.

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