USC’s 2026-27 women’s basketball schedule is nearly locked in, and the first real look at the season already has plenty of buzz around it.
The conference released official game times and TV designations Wednesday for all but two Big Ten games and all but five of the Women of Troy’s non-conference matchups. That leaves a few loose ends, but most of the slate is now mapped out on television and streaming.
The season opens with an exhibition at the Galen Center, a chance to see JuJu Watkins back in action and get a read on how the roster is meshing ahead of her senior year.
USC’s schedule is spread across a wide TV footprint: 16 regular-season games on national television and 15 on streaming platforms. The Women of Troy have seven games on the Big Ten Network, seven on Peacock, six on Big Ten Plus, two on ESPN, two on FOX and one each on ABC, CBS Sports Network, FS1, ION and NBC.
The two games USC will play at the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship still do not have TV designations. The tournament website lists BDG Sports Live as the streaming option.
The non-conference schedule brings some notable stage settings right away. USC opens Nov. 8 against Utah State on the Big Ten Network, then hosts College of Charleston two days later on the same network. A Nov. 15 trip to South Carolina in Greenville, S.C., lands on ABC, and a Nov. 20 meeting with Baylor at the Hollywood Hardwood Classic in Intuit Dome will also air on the Big Ten Network.
From there, the Women of Troy move into a packed stretch that includes home games against Northern Arizona, Grambling State and Youngstown State, plus the Bahamas trip for St. Joseph’s and Iowa State. The December slate also includes Washington on Peacock, Miami in Phoenix on ION, and high-profile showdowns with Notre Dame and Duke at the Players Era Showcase in Las Vegas, both on ESPN.
Conference play brings its own heavy slate of network games. USC’s Big Ten home and road schedule includes matchups against Nebraska, Maryland, Rutgers, Minnesota, Penn State, Michigan, Illinois, UCLA, Michigan State, Ohio State and Oregon, with games spread across Peacock, FOX, Big Ten Network, FS1 and NBC.
A few of the bigger dates stand out on the calendar: Jan. 30 against Michigan on FOX, Feb. 7 at UCLA on FOX, Feb. 11 at Iowa on FS1, Feb. 21 against Ohio State on NBC and the Feb. 25 Senior Day meeting with UCLA on Peacock.
The full regular season closes with a Feb. 28 trip to Oregon, before the Big Ten Conference Tournament runs March 3-7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with coverage split across Peacock, Big Ten Network, CBS and Paramount+.
USC is expected to enter the season as a national championship contender, with a roster built around Watkins and a deep supporting cast that includes last year’s National Freshman of the Year Jazzy Davidson, Big Ten All-Defensive Team selection Kennedy Smith, No. 1 overall prospect Saniyah Hall and top 10 prospect Sara Okeke, along with transfer additions Pania Davis and Ryann Bennett.
In Other News...
USC May Have Found A Freshman Pass Rusher At The Perfect Time
Luke Wafles breakout came at a time USC needed help creating disruption up front, and the freshman defensive end delivered one of his most complete performances against Washington. He picked up his first collegiate sack, finished with five tackles and two tackles for loss, and in the process made his presence felt in a way that has started to change how the Trojans view their young pass rush.
Wafles work was enough to earn Big Ten Freshman Player of the Week honors, and it also says something about where he has already positioned himself in the rotation. He leads USC in tackles for loss and sits among the teams top three tacklers overall, a strong sign that the Trojans may have uncovered an impact defender just as the schedule starts demanding more from their front seven. [Read more 🡒]
Lincoln Riley Knows Exactly How Dangerous USC's Penn State Trip Could Be
USCs trip to Penn State comes with the kind of edge Lincoln Riley has spent plenty of time trying to avoid at this point in the season. The No. 19 Trojans are 5-1 and heading into a road test against a Big Ten opponent in Beaver Stadium, where the atmosphere alone can turn a solid plan into a stressful night. Riley also knows exactly what he is walking into because he has seen this coaching matchup before, dating back to Matt Campbells Iowa State teams, and that familiarity only adds to the intrigue.
For USC, the challenge is bigger than simply surviving the trip. Riley spoke with clear respect for Campbell and the way his teams play, and both sides bring enough key personnel and team identity into this one to make it feel like more than a standard nonconference road game. The Trojans have built momentum, but road games like this tend to expose whether a team is ready for the next step, and this one has the look of a measuring stick in every sense. [Read more 🡒]
USC Fans Still Have A Reason To Watch Oregons QB Situation
The quarterback picture at Oregon is still worth watching from a USC perspective, because Dante Moore was back at practice in shoulder pads and a helmet after spending time in concussion protocol. Moores status remains tied to the Big Ten availability report ahead of the Ducks game against UCLA, which keeps some uncertainty around a situation that started when he was injured against USC.
Dylan Raiola would be next up if Moore cannot go, and that possibility alone gives the Trojans a rooting interest in how the week unfolds. USC already saw Moore leave that game hurt, and now it gets one more layer of intrigue in Oregons preparation, with the conference report likely to provide the clearest answer before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
