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...
Matt Campbell Is Sending Penn State Fans A Message About The Standard
Matt Campbell has spent his first stretch as Penn States head football coach doing something that should resonate with a fan base that measures itself against the sports biggest stages: studying the programs recent past. Since taking over in 2025, Campbell has gone back through the last 15 years of Penn State football, trying to understand not just what has worked, but what the program has endured and how that history can shape what comes next. It is the kind of homework that suggests he is not interested in simply inheriting a proud job title, but in learning the standards that come with it.
Campbells approach has centered on building a culture that respects Penn States legacy while pushing the program toward national championship expectations. He has talked about learning from both the successes and the failures, seeing each as part of the same process of growth for the team and for himself as a coach. For a program with high expectations baked into every season, that message matters because it hints at a staff trying to balance urgency with patience, and ambition with a clear-eyed understanding of what it takes to get there. [Read more 🡒]
Penn States New-Look Roster Already Has 3 Rooms Fans Can Trust
Penn States 2026 preseason camp is still young, but there are already a few spots on the roster that look far more settled than others. Cornerback is one of them, with returning starters Zion Tracy and Audavion Collins giving the Nittany Lions a veteran base and younger players like Daryus Dixson and Jahmir Joseph adding some long-term upside behind them.
Tight end and linebacker also stand out as areas where the depth chart has real shape, not just bodies. At tight end, senior transfers Ben Brahmer and Gabe Burkle join redshirt junior Andrew Rappleyea in a group that should give Penn State options, while linebacker is anchored by Tony Rojas, Kooper Ebel and Caleb Bacon, a trio the staff can lean on as camp starts to sort out the rest of the room. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Rhoades Just Sent A Strong Summer Message About Penn State's Roster
Penn States summer media session offered a useful snapshot of where Mike Rhoades thinks his roster is headed, with Brant Byers and Ivan Juric joining the conversation alongside the coach. Byers arrives from Miami (OH) with a chance to give the Nittany Lions another experienced piece, while Juric is back after a strong freshman season and looks ready for a bigger role as the offseason work continues.
The bigger takeaway, though, was Rhoades emphasis on the newcomers who have already started to separate themselves in workouts. Roberts Blums, the Davidson transfer, drew the strongest praise, and Rhoades also pointed to Thomas Allard and Dasonte Bowen as other additions who could matter quickly. For a program trying to reshape its rotation, that kind of early read on the roster is exactly the sort of summer signal Penn State wants to hear. [Read more 🡒]