Oregon’s first Big Ten road test of 2026 now has a stage and a start time, and it comes with plenty on the line.
The No. 21 Ducks will face No.
12 USC at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Sept. 26 at 4:30 p.m. PT on NBC.
It’s a matchup that already had built-in juice between longtime West Coast rivals, but Oregon’s Week 2 stumble made the stakes much sharper.
The Ducks head into the trip to Los Angeles after a brutal 39-31 loss to unranked Oklahoma State in Stillwater, a result that leaves little margin for error if they want to reach the College Football Playoff for the third straight year. Before that, Oregon will return home for a Friday night game against Portland State.
USC has come out strong in 2026, adding another layer to the matchup as pressure rises on Lincoln Riley to get the Trojans to the postseason for the first time in his five-year run. Freshmen such as receiver Trent Mosley and tight end Mark Bowman have already flashed in a big way, while quarterback Jayden Maiava is making noise as a Heisman Trophy dark horse. On defense, new coordinator Gary Patterson has helped lift the unit early.
The history between these teams tilts USC’s way overall, with the Trojans leading the series 39-24 with two ties. But Oregon has owned the recent stretch, going 8-2 over the last 10 meetings dating back to 2009.
The Ducks beat USC 42-27 at Autzen Stadium last season and are riding a four-game series win streak. Their last loss in the matchup came in 2016, a 45-20 defeat in Los Angeles.
Even so, the Coliseum has been a tougher setting for Oregon. The Ducks are 9-24-1 on the road against USC, though they have won four of their last five games in Southern California. After what happened in Week 2, though, Dan Lanning’s team knows nothing will be handed to it.
The Sept. 26 game could shape up as an early Big Ten headline, with USC trying to improve its standing and Oregon trying to prove its loss in Stillwater was just a slip.
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