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Getting into a very consequential season for coach Lincoln Riley at USC, a brutal Large Ten slate received’t reduce the Trojans or their coach any slack in 2026.
That a lot was clear lengthy earlier than the Large Ten formally launched its schedule for subsequent season Tuesday. USC already knew it might face the convention’s high three groups from a season in the past (Indiana, Ohio State and Oregon). However the official unveiling of the slate would additional solidify simply how grueling the climb may very well be for USC subsequent season.
Oregon will face Portland State, an FCS workforce, every week earlier than coming to USC on Sept. 26. Ohio State could have a bye week earlier than its Halloween assembly with USC on the Coliseum, and so will the defending champ, Indiana, which USC will face in Bloomington on Nov. 14.
The Trojans will assuredly must win no less than a kind of video games to keep up their hopes of constructing the School Soccer Playoff in Riley’s fifth season. The remainder of the schedule is hardly a cakewalk too, with journeys to Rutgers (Sept. 19), Penn State (Oct. 10) and Wisconsin (Oct. 24).
The nonconference schedule remains to be being finalized, after talks broke down between USC and Notre Dame over the way forward for their rivalry sequence. However with two byes already baked into the Trojans’ schedule, an individual acquainted with the state of affairs however not approved to talk publicly informed The Instances that USC plans to schedule its season opener throughout Week Zero, with a house recreation on Aug. 29.
That timing drastically cuts down USC’s choices for locating a fill-in opponent to open the season towards on the Coliseum.
So as to play in Week Zero in its house stadium and never internationally or at a impartial website, USC should safe an exemption from the NCAA. That most likely limits the Trojans to a workforce that faces Hawaii in 2026 — and thus will get an exemption from the NCAA to play a further recreation — or means taking part in a Soccer Championship Collection workforce, which USC has notably by no means achieved.
Beginning the season early will permit for USC so as to add an additional bye week, whereas most Large Ten faculties are working with only one throughout their 2026 slates. It’ll want that break contemplating what the latter half of the season holds.
After kicking off in late August, USC opens the season with house video games in 5 of its first six weeks. However after that, the Trojans return house simply twice the remainder of the season, for matchups towards Ohio State on Oct. 31 and Maryland on Nov. 21.
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