ESPN College GameDay passed on a matchup that had plenty going for it: No. 20 Oregon at No.
12 USC on Sept. 26.
The Ducks and Trojans bring the kind of name value, personality, and built-in conversation that usually makes for easy television, which is why the choice to head to Knoxville, Tennessee instead stood out.
That trip to Knoxville means College GameDay will be there for the No. 1 Texas and No.
14 Tennessee Volunteers matchup, billed around the question of “who the real UT is.” It also keeps the show in SEC territory once again.
At the same time, Oregon at USC landed with NBC’s Big Ten Saturday, but that still doesn’t prevent GameDay from going to a Big Ten campus for its pregame coverage.
The Oregon-USC angle has only gotten sharper since the Big Ten expanded to the West Coast, with Lincoln Riley and Dan Lanning already looking like the kind of coaching pair that can define a new conference rivalry. Both coaches are made for the spotlight, especially when they’re seated side by side.
Lanning would have had to answer for Oregon’s 84-0 win over Portland State on Sept. 18.
Riley, meanwhile, would have been pressed on whether he still feels the heat after USC’s 4-0 start, particularly with the Trojans’ defensive issues over the last two games. Allowing 35 points to Rutgers only added to the unease in Los Angeles.
There’s also the possibility of even more inside-baseball conversation if Nick Saban were involved on the set. He could have offered stories about his former assistant Lanning, while Riley might have had something to say about his 2018 meeting with Saban’s Alabama team in the Orange Bowl. Another layer would be any discussion of their connection to Jalen Hurts, who left Alabama for Riley’s Oklahoma.
That kind of exchange would have given GameDay plenty to work with. It’s the sort of matchup that naturally invites stories, not just scores.
USC also carries a different kind of scrutiny than most ranked teams. The Trojans drew a sparse crowd for their week zero opener against San Jose State, and the Friday night game against Fresno State, which started after 6 p.m.
PT, also left plenty of empty seats. Even the week three game against Louisiana, played after 8 p.m.
PT, never reached a sellout.
That’s part of why a sold-out Oregon-USC game matters so much. It gives USC fans a chance to quiet the critics who have questioned their attendance, while also setting up a lively scene with a heavy showing of Oregon supporters in the building.
Both programs also come with a strong celebrity footprint. Oregon’s fan base includes actor Ty Burrell, legendary actor Sam Elliott, and Hip-Hop figure Big Boi of OutKast, whose son played at Oregon from 2019 to 2021.
USC’s list is just as loaded, with George Lucas, Will Ferrell, and Snoop Dogg among the most recognizable names attached to the Trojans. Snoop would have been a natural celebrity guest picker, given both his public USC loyalty and his Youth Football League ties to the college game.
Instead, NBC will likely get the spotlight on whatever celebrity names show up. But Oregon at USC still looks like the kind of game that could have given College GameDay a full afternoon’s worth of storylines, including the possibility that the loser gets pushed out of both the conference title chase and the College Football Playoff race.
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Oregon Just Got A New Quarterback Question Behind Dante Moore
The quarterback room has taken on a little more intrigue at Oregon after Dylan Raiola made a sharp debut against Portland State. Working his way back from a fibula fracture, the Nebraska transfer completed all 11 of his pass attempts for 124 yards and three touchdowns while handling the entire third quarter, a showing that immediately drew praise from head coach Dan Lanning and starter Dante Moore.
Raiolas performance mattered beyond the box score because it came with the kind of poise and preparation that can change how a staff thinks about its depth chart. Lanning and Moore both pointed to his dedication in practice and the way he carried it into the game, leaving Oregon with a new layer of competition behind Moore as the Ducks move forward. [Read more 🡒]
Oregons Next Opponent Just Showed A Weakness Ducks Can Exploit
USCs first road trip of the season turned into a shootout, but it also exposed a defense that Oregon will spend the week studying closely. The Trojans beat Rutgers 42-35 behind an offense that held up its end, while the other side of the ball gave up key plays, including a fake punt touchdown and multiple scoring drives that kept Rutgers within striking distance.
Still, USCs defense did make impact plays when it needed them most, picking off passes at crucial moments and getting a 99-yard pick-six from Prophet Brown. That mix of volatility and big-play ability is part of what makes next weeks primetime matchup with Oregon so intriguing, because the Ducks will see both the openings and the danger if they can turn this into a cleaner, more controlled game. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Just Forced A Poll Question Fans Will Love
Oregons 84-0 rout of Portland State was the kind of result that did exactly what a good September tune-up should do: keep the Ducks rolling without asking many questions. Around the country, though, the weekend kept turning the AP Top 25 conversation into a moving target, with Ole Miss win over LSU standing out as one of the results that could shake up the order when voters sit down to reshuffle the poll.
And Oregon is part of that same debate now, because the Ducks were handling business while other ranked teams were getting pushed, tested, or upset. Alabama, USC, Texas Tech and Texas A&M all figured into a slate that left room for movement up top and possibly a fresh face or two in the rankings, which means the next poll could tell us as much about perception as performance. [Read more 🡒]