USC’s 2026 schedule is loaded with games that could shape everything about the Trojans’ College Football Playoff push, and the slate doesn’t waste time getting interesting.
The first major collision comes Sept. 26 at the Coliseum, when USC tries to finally break through against Oregon. Lincoln Riley is 0-2 against Dan Lanning and the Ducks, and the latest meeting ended with a 42-27 loss at Autzen Stadium - the same defeat that kept the Trojans out of the CFP. This time, USC gets Oregon at home, with Jayden Maiava set to go head-to-head with Ducks quarterback Dante Moore in what could be one of the season’s early heavyweight games.
A month later, on Oct. 11, the Trojans head to Penn State for what could be the annual whiteout at Beaver Stadium. That trip brings an added wrinkle: USC will also see former defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn. Riley’s teams have had trouble winning on the road, and with the kind of schedule USC is expected to face, this is the sort of game the Trojans can’t let slip away.
The biggest stage may arrive on Halloween. For the first time since USC joined the Big Ten in 2024, Ohio State comes to the Los Angeles Coliseum on Oct. 31, and it’s also the first head-to-head meeting between Riley and Ryan Day.
The matchup has the feel of a Halloween showcase, and the quarterback duel between Maiava and Julian Sayin could decide it. Last season, Maiava led the Big Ten in passing with 3,711 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, while Sayin finished with 3,610 yards, 32 touchdowns, and eight interceptions.
Both enter the season with Heisman Trophy buzz, which only raises the stakes for that night in Los Angeles.
USC’s toughest road assignment may come Nov. 14 at Indiana. The Hoosiers are the defending champions, even after losing Heisman Trophy quarterback and No. 1 draft selection Fernando Mendoza, and coach Curt Cignetti has reloaded through the transfer portal. The Trojans’ defense, now under new defensive coordinator Gary Patterson, is expected to be a major factor in any CFP run, and Indiana’s new connection between TCU transfer quarterback Josh Hoover and former Michigan State wide receiver Nick Marsh will test that secondary.
Then comes the Crosstown Rivalry on Nov. 28 at the Rose Bowl, where new UCLA coach Bob Chesney will make his first appearance in the matchup. The Bruins enter 2026 with better coaching and the return of starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava, giving them a chance to be one of the more overlooked teams in the Big Ten. UCLA has lost the last two meetings with USC, but the Bruins will be aiming to take back the Victory Bell and potentially wreck the Trojans’ CFP hopes.
In Other News...
USC May Have Found The Linebacker Answer It Has Been Missing
USCs linebacker room has spent the past few seasons looking for the kind of steadying veteran who can help pull everything together, and Deven Bryant looks like the latest attempt to solve that problem. The Washington transfer arrives with the kind of experience the Trojans wanted to pair with homegrown pieces Desman Stephens II and Jadyn Walker, giving the defense a more established voice in a room that has needed one.
Bryants value goes beyond simply being an extra body in the mix. After moving from WILL to MIKE linebacker last season, he settled into a role that better fit his game, and USC is betting that growth carries over into 2026 under Gary Patterson and Mike Ekeler. He is already being viewed as a potential starter and a leader, which is why he lands so high on the Trojans list of most important players for next season. [Read more 🡒]
Dan Lanning Just Got Pushed Back In A Massive 5-Star Battle
Oregons 2027 recruiting board still has some real star power, with five-star wide receiver Dakota Guerrant and edge rusher Rashad Streets already in the fold, and the Ducks keep working other top targets to round out the class. But the bigger swing for this cycle has centered on Honor Faalave-Johnson, the five-star wide receiver-defensive back whose recruitment has become one of the more closely watched battles on the West Coast.
For Oregon, the challenge is no longer just making a pitch, but trying to stay in the race as the picture around Faalave-Johnson keeps shifting. The Ducks are still in pursuit, yet the momentum has tilted enough to make this one feel like a long-haul fight rather than a simple flip attempt, and the next few moves will say a lot about how hard Oregon can press before the window starts closing. [Read more 🡒]
Lincoln Rileys Standing Just Took Another Hit At USC
Lincoln Riley arrived at USC in 2021 with the kind of immediate lift that made the hire look like a program changer. His first season delivered a Pac-12 Championship Game appearance and a trip to a New Years Six bowl, the sort of start that can buy a coach plenty of runway in Los Angeles.
The runway has shortened since then. After three straight unsuccessful seasons from 2023 through 2025, USA TODAY Sports now has Riley outside the top five Big Ten coaches, with Curt Cignetti, Ryan Day, Dan Lanning, Kirk Ferentz and Kyle Whittingham all slotted ahead of him. USC did show signs of life last year by going 7-2 in the Big Ten and signing one of the nations top recruiting classes, but the bigger question is whether that is enough to change how Riley is viewed after the recent slide. [Read more 🡒]