USC season preview: Oregon is by far the Trojans' most important game

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USC football is about to start its 2026 season. The importance of the Trojans' game against Oregon cannot be overstated. It's nearly impossible to engage in hyperbole when discussing the enormity of this contest. It could easily be described as the program's most important game since the 2022 Pac-12 Championship Game versus Utah.

Consider the point that USC's 2023 season unraveled after the midseason loss to Notre Dame. That 2023 game in South Bend was fairly important, but it revealed a team which wasn't very good. The 2022 Pac-12 title game was a bigger game than Notre Dame 2023. No other 2023 game meant as much to USC as the 2022 Pac-12 Championship Game did.

The 2024 season had the much-anticipated game at Michigan, but again, that USC team wasn't special, so it's hard to put 2024 Michigan on par with 2022 versus Utah in Las Vegas.

The game which probably comes closest to the 2022 Pac-12 title game in terms of overall importance to USC football was last year's game at Oregon. USC was never likely to win, but that doesn't change the importance of the game itself. Had USC won, it would have been a College Football Playoff team.

Now comes Oregon in 2026. USC has lived in the Ducks' shadow for a very long time. They have to escape it, and the only way they will do that is by beating UO head to head. The 2026 season contains a number of big games, but there should be little debate about the biggest one of all: Oregon.

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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC season preview: Oregon is by far the Trojans' most important game

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