The USC men’s basketball schedule is out, and the Trojans now know exactly where the big tests sit in their 2026-27 season.
That matters because this is a team with real pressure on it. Eric Musselman is entering his third year in charge, USC has brought in a strong recruiting class, and the roster includes key returners Rodney Rice, Alijah Areans, and Jacob Cofie along with several notable additions from the transfer portal. After two seasons, Musselman is 35-32 overall, and the Trojans are still trying to snap a three-year NCAA Tournament drought after last season ended with eight straight losses, an 18-14 record, and a 7-13 mark in Big Ten play.
One of the biggest advantages on the schedule is also one of the biggest swing factors: USC gets Michigan and Michigan State at the Galen Center. Last season, the Trojans had to go on the road for both matchups and lost each one by double digits.
This year, the Spartans are back in Los Angeles, and they’ll bring a loaded group with them. Michigan State returns guard Jeremy Fears Jr. and forward Coen Carr, whose highlight-reel dunks are part of what makes that team so dangerous.
Tom Izzo also has several other important pieces back in guards Jordan Scott and Kur Teng, plus forward Cam Ward, as the Spartans chase a Final Four run in Detroit. For USC, taking down Michigan State at home again would be the kind of win that can reshape a tournament case in a hurry.
Michigan is another key home opportunity. The Wolverines lost Yaxel Lendeborg, but they return guards Elliott Cadeau and Trey McKenney, who are set to lead the team under new coach Mike Boynton Jr. There’s plenty of interest in whether Michigan can still stay near the top of the Big Ten after coach Dusty May’s departure to the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks.
USC’s road slate in league play also includes two heavy hitters it couldn’t handle at home last season. The Trojans will travel to face Illinois and Purdue after dropping both games at the Galen Center a year ago.
Illinois is coming off its first Final Four appearance since 2005 and should again be a major Big Ten force under Brad Underwood. Purdue, meanwhile, is trying to stay in the contender conversation after losing star guard Braden Smith this offseason, even as Matt Painter’s team remains one of the conference’s top threats.
The Illinois matchup stands out most because of what happened last season. The Fighting Illini rolled over USC in Los Angeles, 101-65.
Non-conference play also looks much tougher than it did a year ago. Last season, USC ran through that part of the schedule unbeaten and opened 12-1.
This time, the Trojans will face a more demanding group of opponents, including neutral-site games against Wichita State, South Carolina, Utah State, and Texas Tech. USC will also go to the Bay Area on Nov. 11 to play California, and the Texas Tech meeting in the Coast to Coast Challenge is set for Dec. 13 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
Texas Tech comes into that game after going 23-11 overall and 12-6 in Big 12 play last season. The Red Raiders reached the tournament as a No. 5 seed, beat Akron 91-71 in the first round, then fell 90-65 to Alabama in the Round of 32. That’s the kind of résumé USC would love to build toward by season’s end.
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 🡒]