USC Trojans finalize Week 0 opponent to complete 2026 college football schedule originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The USC Trojans’ schedule this fall is finally set. Wednesday, the football program confirmed its Week 0 opponent, a vacancy that had been left open for a considerable amount of time until now.
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In an official press release from the program, the Trojans revealed they’d face the San Jose State Spartans Aug. 29.
Kickoff and network designations were not officially revealed.
“The Spartans, led by head coach Ken Niumatalolo, will visit Southern California for the seventh time in program history,” the release stated. “USC holds a 6-0 all-time record over San José State, with each game occurring in the Coliseum. In the teams’ most recent encounter, the Trojans defeated the Spartans 56-28 to open the 2023 season. The Trojans are 37-1-1 versus teams from the Mountain West (not including 2 wins vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 39-1-1).”
With the announcement, the Trojans’ schedule looks something like this.
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Which teams does USC play this season?
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August 29: vs. San Jose State Spartans
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September 5: vs. Fresno State Bulldogs
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September 12: vs. Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns
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September 19: at Rutgers Scarlet Knights
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October 3: vs. Washington Huskies
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October 24: at Wisconsin Badgers
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October 31: vs. Ohio State Spartans
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November 21: vs. Maryland Terrapins
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November 28: at UCLA Bruins
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Notable teams USC plays this season
The USC Trojans play three College Football Playoff teams from this past season, including the Oregon Ducks, Ohio State Buckeyes and defending national champion Indiana Hoosiers.
Coach Lincoln Riley was recently open about how much he’s looking forward to this fall.
“There was some real progress, even despite the number of injuries having to deal with,” Riley said in an interview with J.D. PicKell. “You’re not going to win all these games the same way. Every game is going to be a little bit different. And if you want to be an elite team, you want to be a championship team, you have to learn how to do that, and a program has to learn how to do that. And we are showing some pretty exciting signs.”
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There are 185 days until the Trojans’ season gets underway. At least they can be at ease knowing their road to a potential postseason run is set.
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Only time will tell, though.
