The early line is already leaning Oregon’s way, and that says plenty about how the Ducks and USC Trojans are being viewed heading into Sept. 26.
DraftKings Sportsbook has Oregon as a 5.5-point favorite even though the game is set for the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where USC will have home-field advantage. It’s the clearest sign yet that oddsmakers see a narrow but real edge for the Ducks in one of the biggest early-season games on the 2026 schedule.
Both teams enter the fall with the same big goals: a Big Ten title and a trip to the College Football Playoff. That shared ambition is part of what makes this matchup so compelling, especially with both offenses bringing back their quarterbacks. USC’s Jayden Maiava and Oregon’s Dante Moore are back to steer two units that should put up points.
That makes the defensive side of the ball even more important. Whichever team can get more stops is likely to be the one walking away with the win.
USC’s offense should still be dangerous with Riley calling plays and Maiava at quarterback. The Trojans also return their entire starting offensive line, along with running backs Waymond Jordan and King Miller. The biggest question is at wide receiver, but USC has earned plenty of trust when it comes to developing playmakers on offense.
On the other side, Oregon’s secondary figures to be tested by Riley’s passing game, and the Ducks will also have to prove they can move the ball on the ground against USC.
The Trojans’ defense is a little harder to pin down with new defensive coordinator Gary Patterson taking over. Still, USC has pieces that could matter. Defensive linemen Jahkeem Stewart and Jide Abasiri are expected to be difference makers, and transfer cornerbacks Carrington Pierce and Jontez Williams join the secondary.
The matchup also carries a recent history that leans heavily toward Oregon. The Ducks beat USC in 2025 and effectively knocked the Trojans out of CFP contention with that loss at Autzen Stadium. Oregon also owns the recent edge in the series, going 8-2 over USC in the last 10 meetings dating back to 2009.
Overall, though, USC still leads the all-time series 39-24-2. The programs used to meet regularly in the Pac-10, but since the expanded Pac-12 and now the Big Ten, they’ve only played three times since the 2020 season. One of those games was the Pac-12 title game, which Oregon won.
There’s also a coaching wrinkle that stands out: Lincoln Riley has not beaten Dan Lanning since both arrived at their current jobs before the 2022 season. Lanning has guided Oregon to two straight CFP berths, including a Big Ten title in 2025, while Riley and USC have yet to reach the 12-team playoff field.
The teams will meet on Sept. 26, with kickoff time and TV information still to come.
In Other News...
USC Is In A Battle It Cannot Afford To Lose For Local Star
Hayden Koo has become one of the more closely watched local names in USCs recruiting orbit, and for good reason. The four-star wide receiver from Tustin has drawn attention from a long list of programs that includes Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, BYU, Stanford and UCLA, but the Trojans have made a clear push of their own as they try to keep one of Southern Californias better prospects close to home. Koo was on campus for The Opening Finals and later took part in an invite-only USC prospect camp, where he worked out with coach Chad Savage and came away with an offer.
The next stretch of the recruiting calendar could matter a lot here, because Koo is planning to take game-day visits this season even though nothing is locked in yet. USC is one of the schools he wants to see, and the late-September home date against Oregon is already on his radar, which gives the Trojans a chance to make a stronger impression in front of a local target who still has plenty of options. For USC, the appeal is obvious: keeping a top California receiver from drifting elsewhere is exactly the kind of battle it cannot afford to lose. [Read more 🡒]
USC Could Catch Wisconsin In A Coach's Most Desperate Game
Lincoln Rileys seat at USC still draws plenty of attention, but the more fragile situation in this matchup belongs to Wisconsin and Luke Fickell. The Badgers have gone through two straight down years, and after the rough 2025 season, plenty of observers expected a change. Instead, Wisconsin is trying to buy time and stability, while USC enters the game with the kind of expectation that usually comes with being the more talented team on paper.
For the Trojans, that makes this one feel less like a toss-up and more like a chance to keep a struggling opponent from finding any footing. USC is expected to handle Wisconsin, and anything short of that would raise immediate questions about where this program is headed under Riley. For Fickell, the pressure is even more immediate, because the margin for error in Madison has already shrunk to the point where every game now feels like part of a final exam. [Read more 🡒]
USC Ace Mason Edwards Just Delivered A Huge Draft Moment
Mason Edwards rise at USC ended with the kind of draft moment that confirms just how far his college career came. After missing most of the 2025 season because of injury, the former Trojans pitcher returned in 2026 and turned himself into one of the most dominant arms in the country, finishing with 8 wins, a 2.07 ERA and 15.9 strikeouts per nine innings while anchoring USCs staff.
The season also brought national recognition, with Edwards emerging as a finalist for the National Pitcher of the Year Award and earning Baseball Americas pitcher of the year honor. His performance made him the highest-drafted USC player since Brad Boxberger in 2009, and now he heads into the Athletics minor league system with the sort of momentum that can change the early shape of a pro career. [Read more 🡒]