USC’s season started with jokes about empty seats, but the Trojans are turning that storyline on its head heading into one of the biggest games on their schedule.
The school announced that its Sept. 26 matchup against No. 21 Oregon is sold out. Third-party apps still have tickets available, but the official sellout marks a sharp shift from the early-season chatter around USC’s home crowd.
The change has been building over the Trojans’ first three home games. Attendance and ticket sales climbed after the season opener featured $9 tickets and Memorial Coliseum eventually filled out.
That surge has tracked with USC’s play on the field, where the No. 12 Trojans have opened 3-0 and flashed the kind of offense that gets people through the gates.
Quarterback Jayden Maiava has been central to it all. Through three games, he has thrown for 896 yards, 10 touchdowns and only one interception. His best performance came in the last game against Louisiana, when he threw a career-high five touchdown passes.
USC’s freshman class has also made an early imprint. Defensive end Luke Wafle, receivers Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and Ethan “Boobie” Feaster, and tight end Mark Bowman are among the young players who have helped fuel the fast start.
There is one notable absence for the Ducks game. Freshman receiver Trent Mosley has been ruled out for multiple games after getting hurt against Louisiana. Even without him, USC still has options at receiver, including Tanook Hines, Zacharyus Williams, and Tarrell Anderson.
The Trojans have been just as active on defense. Nickel Kenndey Urlacher forced a safety and a fumble against Fresno State, defensive tackle Jide Abasiri has been a problem at the snap, and Wafle has already shown the kind of disruption USC was hoping to get from him.
Oregon’s path into this matchup has not been smooth. The Ducks had to grind past Boise State in their opener, then took a 39-31 loss to Oklahoma State in Stillwater after Drew Mestemaker and the Cowboys piled up 554 yards.
That result pushed Oregon behind USC in the AP Poll, even though FanDuel Sportsbook lists the Trojans as 1.5-point underdogs.
Both teams still have one more game before they meet in Los Angeles. Oregon plays Portland State, while USC travels to Rutgers to open conference play. If both handle business, the Coliseum will host a primetime meeting with plenty of attention and, now, a full house.
USC and Oregon are set for a 4:30 p.m. kickoff on NBC, with the Trojans trying to end a four-game losing streak against the Ducks.
In Other News...
USC Heads To Rutgers With A New Receiver Concern
USCs trip to Rutgers brings a little more uncertainty to an already important stretch, with true freshman wide receiver Trent Mosley now on the injury list and ruled out because of a knee ailment. The setback is a notable one for a young receiver who had started to carve out a role, and Lincoln Riley said the length of the injury remains unclear while not appearing to be something the staff views as long-term.
For a Trojans offense that has leaned on depth and development at receiver, Mosleys absence opens the door for others to absorb a bigger share of the load. Zacharyus Williams and Terrell Anderson are among the options USC is looking at to help fill the void, and how quickly that group settles in will matter as the Trojans head into a road game with another piece suddenly missing from the plan. [Read more 🡒]
USCs New Reality Is Missing What Made Trojans Football Matter
USCs move to the Big Ten was supposed to bring bigger stages and wider reach, but it has also come with a cost that shows up well beyond the travel budget. The Trojans are now paying more than $4 million for nonconference guarantee games against smaller programs, a reminder that the new calendar is built differently from the one USC fans knew for decades. Just as important, the matchups that once gave the season its pulse have started to fade, replaced by a slate that feels unfamiliar from top to bottom.
The bigger issue for USC is not just expense, but identity. A schedule full of new or infrequent opponents can make the season harder to anchor, and the loss of marquee rivalry games like Notre Dame strips away some of the drama that made Trojan football feel essential. For a program that long sold itself on tradition, pageantry and big-game relevance, the Big Ten era has delivered a different kind of football, one that asks fans to keep caring even as the old touchstones grow harder to find. [Read more 🡒]
USC Faces A Rutgers Threat Built To Keep Maiava Watching
Rutgers arrives for its Big Ten opener with a backfield that has changed shape in a hurry, and that makes the matchup a little more interesting for USC than a standard early conference test. The Scarlet Knights have leaned into the idea of building their offense around the run, and the latest addition to that room, four-star back Aiden Gibson, only adds to the sense that Rutgers is trying to create a physical identity before the games get deeper into league play.
For USC, the concern is less about flash and more about rhythm. If Rutgers can stay on schedule and keep the ball on the ground, it can shorten the game and force the Trojans to watch possessions slip away rather than trade scores in a faster pace. That kind of control is exactly why this opener has a bit more tension than it first appears, because the challenge for USC is not just stopping the run, but preventing Rutgers from using it to dictate everything else. [Read more 🡒]