The kickoff time is set for one of the Big Ten’s early-season heavyweight games, and USC’s trip to face Oregon won’t be buried in a late-night window.
The Sept. 26 matchup at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. PT, with NBC carrying the game as part of its Big Ten Saturday coverage. The announcement came on the morning of Sept. 14, giving fans clarity on a meeting that already carries major weight in the conference race and the College Football Playoff picture.
USC enters the game at No. 12 after its late Sept. 12 win over Louisiana, while Oregon slid to No. 21 after its collapse against massive underdog Oklahoma State.
That Oklahoma State result is going to hang over this one. The Cowboys had already beaten Oregon 69-3 in Eugene during the 2025 season, a loss that eventually led to longtime coach Mike Gundy being fired. They then showed up in Stillwater at 0-1 after a 24-10 Week 1 loss to Tulsa, yet still managed to knock off the Ducks.
Dante Moore had a rough night for Oregon, finishing with 191 passing yards and taking four sacks. On the other side, Oklahoma State quarterback and North Texas transfer Drew Mestemaker threw for 317 yards and added 109 more on the ground. Caleb Hawkins also helped fuel the upset with 110 rushing yards.
That kind of tape will give Lincoln Riley and offensive coordinator Luke Huard plenty to study, and the Cowboys under coach Eric Morris may have offered a blueprint for how to attack Oregon in 2026.
USC, though, has its own business to handle before looking ahead. The Trojans face Rutgers on Sept. 19 in their first road trip of the 2026 campaign.
And when Oregon comes to Los Angeles, USC will also have last year’s meeting in Eugene on its mind. Oregon won that game 42-27, with Moore throwing for 257 yards against the Trojans. Jayden Maiava passed for 306 yards and three touchdowns, but he was intercepted twice, including once by returning Ducks cornerback Ify Obidegwu.
NBC’s broadcast will mark the second time its crew has taken in the Coliseum. The network also aired USC’s 2026 opener against San José State during Week 0, when the Trojans rolled to a 42-26 win. In that game, wide receiver Trent Mosley and edge rusher Luke Wafle stood out, while Maiava completed 25 of 29 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns.
USC leads the all-time series 38-24-2, but Oregon has won the last four meetings.
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USC spent Saturday looking for answers in the passing game, and freshman tight end Walker Lyons Bowman offered a convincing one. He led the Trojans in receiving with six catches for 83 yards in the 49-30 win over Louisiana, then topped it off with his first two career touchdowns, giving USC a much-needed middle-of-the-field threat and a different kind of target for Jayden Maiava.
Bowman became the first USC tight end to score multiple touchdowns in a game since 2022, and the early production came with a caveat after he was held out in the second half following a heavy hit. Still, the performance was enough to draw praise from Lincoln Riley, who pointed to Bowmans playmaking ability, while Bowman credited the offensive line and Maiava for helping make the night happen. [Read more 🡒]
Lincoln Riley Left USC Fans Watching One Key Concern After Win
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Still, the cleanest takeaway was not the final margin but the checklist Riley left behind. He noted the penalties that kept USC from looking sharper for longer stretches and also offered an update on defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewarts injury status, while sounding encouraged by the way the roster is starting to reveal more depth. The win moved the Trojans forward, but it also left one of the seasons early questions hanging in plain view: how quickly USC can turn promising pieces into a more consistent, disciplined team. [Read more 🡒]
USCs Fast Start Comes With One Big Question Fans Cant Ignore
Southern Californias 49-30 win over Louisiana gave Lincoln Riley another reminder of how dangerous this offense can look when it is clicking early in the season. Jayden Maiava guided the attack efficiently, the Trojans piled up 494 yards and improved to 3-0, while Riley pointed to both the performance and the challenge of getting new pieces fully settled into the rotation.
The big-play profile was obvious throughout the afternoon, with Trent Mosley helping swing momentum as a receiver and on special teams, and Mark Bowman continuing to emerge as part of the passing game. For all the production, though, the broader question around USC is whether this fast start is showing a team that has already found its identity, or one still waiting for the pieces to truly come together. [Read more 🡒]