USC Trojans' 2026 Big Ten football schedule released

The Big Ten Conference officially announced the full 2026 football schedule for USC Trojans football on Tuesday. A demanding 12-game slate that will feature seven home games and five road contests.

The schedule shapes up as a pivotal one for head coach Lincoln Riley, who will enter his fourth season in Los Angeles looking to build on the progress from a year ago. USC finished 9-4 in 2025 after back-to-back underwhelming seasons and showed improvement away from home after going winless in true road games in 2024. 

The Trojans earned road victories at Purdue and Nebraska last season and missed a 10-win campaign with a 30-27 overtime loss to TCU in the Alamo Bowl.

USC will not face Notre Dame in 2026, lightening the load slightly, but the Big Ten schedule remains unforgiving. With the College Football Playoff staying at 12 teams, USC will likely need at least 10 wins to reach the field.

That path includes tough home games against Oregon, Washington and Ohio State, while road trips to Rutgers, Penn State, Wisconsin and Indiana will be huge. The Trojans will also close the regular season at UCLA.

USC Trojans 2026 football schedule 

Saturday Aug. 29: Open

Saturday Sep. 5: vs. Fresno State

Saturday Sep. 12: vs. Louisiana

Saturday Sep. 19: at Rutgers

Saturday Sep. 26: vs. Oregon

Saturday Oct. 3: vs. Washington

Saturday Oct. 10: at Penn State

BYE

Saturday Oct. 24: at Wisconsin

Saturday Oct. 31: vs. Ohio State

BYE

Saturday Nov. 14: at Indiana

Saturday Nov. 21: vs. Maryland

Saturday Nov. 28: at UCLA

USC already knew its Big Ten opponents, but Tuesday’s announcement finalized dates for every matchup. 

One non-conference game remains unannounced. The Trojans are expected to play in Week 0, giving them two bye weeks, which is a scheduling quirk that could prove valuable during a grueling conference grind.

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