Conference realignment has redrawn the college football map, and USC is already finding out that life in the Big Ten comes with fresh enemies. Since arriving in the league in 2024, the Trojans have had to deal with the grind of a punishing travel schedule and the challenge of adjusting to a new brand of football. Along the way, a few new rivalries have started to take shape.
Michigan was first on the list. The Trojans and Wolverines had plenty of history before USC joined the Big Ten, including multiple Rose Bowl meetings, but the conference move gave the matchup a new edge. They’ve played twice as Big Ten opponents and split the series.
USC’s first Big Ten game came against Michigan at the Big House, and the Wolverines made sure the welcome was rough. Michigan won 27-24, with former running back Kalel Mullings pounding the Trojans’ run defense for 159 yards and two touchdowns.
USC got the response it wanted in 2025, beating Michigan 31-13 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. That win stood out in a 2025 season that ended with USC at 9-3 and just short of the College Football Playoff.
Ohio State is another program that has quickly become part of USC’s new Big Ten picture, even if the teams haven’t met yet as league opponents. The Trojans and Buckeyes will do that for the first time on Halloween at the Coliseum this season. They’ve crossed paths before in the Rose Bowl and in regular-season games in the late 2000s, but the recruiting battle has added a new layer.
USC has been a problem for Ohio State on the trail since joining the conference. The Trojans landed the No. 1-ranked 2026 recruiting class, while the Buckeyes finished No. 4 overall, according to 247Sports.
USC also flipped one of the class’s top wide receivers, Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, from Ohio State. That only adds more juice to a matchup that already has the feel of a Halloween classic.
Penn State is next in line. Like Ohio State, the Nittany Lions will face USC for the first time as Big Ten members this fall. And there’s already a connection that could sharpen the edge: former USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn is now with Penn State after two seasons in Los Angeles.
The Oct. 10 road game against Penn State could be one of the defining tests on USC’s schedule. A potential whiteout awaits, and the result could go a long way toward shaping the Trojans’ College Football Playoff chances.
In Other News...
Former Ohio State Receiver Faces Heartbreaking Legal Outcome
Julian Flemings legal case reached its conclusion this week, bringing a grim end to a story that has shadowed the former Ohio State receiver since an ATV crash last year. Fleming, once a highly touted Buckeyes pass catcher, was injured in the wreck and has remained tied to a tragedy that turned a routine outing into a life-altering event.
The crash happened after Fleming and his girlfriend veered to avoid a deer, a split-second move that led to devastating consequences. Boyd died at the scene, while Fleming was hospitalized with serious injuries, and the sentencing now leaves the former Buckeye facing a stretch of jail time followed by probation as the case moves from courtroom drama into its next painful chapter. [Read more 🡒]
Three Stars Who Chose Michigan Over Ohio State And Paid For It
Ohio State fans have had plenty of chances to revisit old recruiting battles with Michigan, and the latest one comes with Jordan Marshall. The Cincinnati native committed to the Wolverines over the Buckeyes in 2024, and now he is set to start in Columbus for the first time, a setting that only sharpens the contrast between where he landed and what Ohio State has been building around him.
Marshalls path fits a familiar theme in this rivalry: a talented player choosing Michigan, then watching the Buckeyes keep piling up the bigger moments. Ohio State won the 2024 national championship, beat Michigan at home, and has continued to separate itself in recruiting, while Marshall still has to answer the kind of questions that follow a decision like that. Donovan Peoples-Jones and Desmond Howard are part of the same conversation, too, because both picked Michigan over Ohio State and left behind their own what-if chapters in a rivalry that never stops keeping score. [Read more 🡒]
Carnell Tate Is Already Making Buckeyes Proud In Nashville
Carnell Tate is already giving Ohio State fans in Nashville something to smile about. The former Buckeyes wideout said he bought multiple unofficial jerseys to hand out to supporters, a small but thoughtful gesture that fits the reputation he built in Columbus as a player who carried himself well on and off the field.
Tate said he plans to post an address once the jerseys arrive so fans know where to go for a free one, turning the whole thing into a little gathering point for Buckeye backers in his new city. It is the kind of move that keeps him connected to the fan base even as his career moves into its next chapter, and it only adds to the buzz around what comes next for him. [Read more 🡒]