USC unveils 2026 football schedule

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USC unveils 2026 football schedule
USC Head Coach Lincoln Riley surveys the field during an NCAA football game against Michigan State, September 20, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.
USC Head Coach Lincoln Riley surveys the field during an NCAA football game against Michigan State, September 20, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.

LOS ANGELES — The time is almost near for the USC Trojans to hit the gridiron in 2026 as they unveiled next year's football schedule. 

The Trojans will open up the 2026 season with a Week Zero game on Aug. 29 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum with an opponent to be announced at a later date.  

USC then welcomes the Fresno State Bulldogs of the Mountain West Conference to Southern California on Sept. 5, with USC owning the 4-1  all-time record against Fresno State. 

USC wraps up nonconference play on Sept. 12 against the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, led by head coach Michael Desormeaux. USC is 1-0 against teams from the Sun Belt Conference, last defeating Arkansas State on Sept. 5, 2015, in the Coliseum.

The Trojans then open up Big Ten Conference play on the road at Rutgers on Sept. 19. The Trojans are 1-0 against the Scarlett Knights, last defeating them 42-20 in the Coliseum in 2024. 

The Trojans then return home to host Oregon on Sept. 26 for the Coliseum's Big Ten opener, with USC holding a 38-24-2 all-time lead in its series with Oregon, last falling to the Ducks 27-42 at Autzen Stadium in 2025. 

Another home game awaits the Trojans as they welcome a familiar foe, the Washington Huskies, to Los Angeles on Oct. 3. USC boasts a 51-32-4 record over the Huskies, last falling to them 21-26 in Seattle in 2024.

USC then travels back to the East Coast to challenge Penn State and new head coach Matt Campbell and former defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn on Oct. 10. The Trojans have not visited Happy Valley since 1994. 

After enjoying a bye week on Oct. 17, USC travels to Wisconsin on Oct. 24. The Trojans are 7-1 versus the Badgers, last defeating them 38-21 in the Coliseum in 2024. 

The Trojans return home to welcome Ohio State to the Coliseum on Halloween, Oct. 31. USC is 13-10-1 against the Buckeyes, last falling to them 7-24 in the 2017 Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

After its second bye week on Nov. 7, USC travels to Bloomington, Indiana, to challenge the reigning national champions, Indiana, on Nov. 14. The Trojans boast a 4-0 record against the Hoosiers and haven't visited Bloomington since 1981, when the Trojans last defeated Indiana 21-0. 

USC returns to the West Coast for its final home game of the 2026 campaign on Nov. 21, welcoming Maryland to the Coliseum for the first time. USC is 0-1 versus the Terrapins, falling to them 28-29 in 2024. 

USC wraps Big Ten play by challenging crosstown rival UCLA and new Bruin head coach Bob Chesney on Nov. 28 at the Rose Bowl. USC leads its series with UCLA, 52-34-7. 

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