Oregon vs USC 2026 | Sept 26 Preview

Big Ten Conference | Away

Oregon vs USC

Saturday, Sept 26, 2026 | LA Memorial Coliseum

TV: TBD | Kickoff: TBD

USC 2026: 2-0

Prediction: Medium-High

Last: W 42-27 (2025)

Updated September 9, 2026 | Sources: ESPN box scores and team stats; USC Athletics; Big Ten Conference

The Big Ten schedule opens on the road at the LA Memorial Coliseum. The Coliseum. This is the game that tells you what kind of team Oregon actually is. The Ducks have won four straight against the Trojans (56-24 in 2019, the 2020 Pac-12 title game, 2023, and the 42-27 beatdown in 2025) and have not lost to USC since 2016, but the history between these programs runs deeper than recent results. October 31, 2009: Oregon hosted No. 4 USC at Autzen on Halloween night, ranked No. 10, and demolished the Trojans 47-20. That was the game that announced Chip Kelly's Oregon to the nation. That was the game that ended USC's stranglehold on the Pac-10. Every big Oregon road win at the Coliseum since carries the echo of that night. Lincoln Riley is in year five now. He left Oklahoma to win championships at USC and has not won a single conference title. The pressure on him is real, and desperate coaches are dangerous. But this is Oregon's moment to plant a flag. Week 4 on the road, Big Ten opener, hostile crowd. Win at USC and the rest of the conference sees Oregon coming. Lose and the Peach Bowl questions come roaring back. There is no hiding in this one.

Key Matchups

Dante Moore's first hostile road test

Forget the non-conference games. This is where we find out who Dante Moore is. The Coliseum, 70,000+ USC fans, Big Ten opener. Moore has the arm, the poise, and the coaching. But reading a blitz when the crowd noise swallows your audibles is a different animal. If Moore walks into the Coliseum and delivers, the Heisman conversation starts. If he presses and forces throws into coverage, we learn something different. This is the game that defines his 2026 arc.

Oregon's secondary vs USC's young weapons

USC lost Zachariah Branch (transferred to Georgia) and Makai Lemon and Ja'Kobi Lane (both declared for the 2026 NFL Draft). The Trojans are breaking in a new receiver corps, but Lincoln Riley always finds playmakers. Oregon's secondary should have the experience edge, but unproven receivers can be unpredictable. The bigger concern is King Miller out of the backfield. He rushed for 972 yards as a true freshman and can catch passes in space. Contain the run game and force the young receivers to win one-on-one.

Oregon's DL vs USC's offensive line

This is where Oregon wins the game. Riley's USC teams have never consistently protected the quarterback, and Oregon's defensive front is the best in the Big Ten. A'Mauri Washington, Bear Alexander, Teitum Tuioti, and Matayo Uiagalelei all returned despite having NFL Draft stock. If Oregon gets pressure with four, the secondary can play coverage and take away Branch and the deep shots. USC's offensive line is the weak link. Oregon's defensive line is the strength. Do the math.

2 more matchups

Tempo and pace of play

Oregon wants to push tempo. USC wants to slow it down, control the clock, and keep their defense fresh. Whoever dictates pace wins. If Oregon can hurry to the line and catch USC's defense in bad alignments, the big plays come in bunches. Lanning's teams are built for this. The uptempo identity that Chip Kelly brought to Oregon lives on in how this staff attacks on the road.

Riley's desperation factor

Lincoln Riley is coaching for his job at this point. Five years at USC, no conference title, and now he draws Oregon in the Big Ten opener at home. A loss here and the LA media will turn on him before the post-game press conference ends. Desperate coaches do unpredictable things. Trick plays, aggressive fourth-down calls, onside kicks. Oregon has to stay disciplined and not let USC's urgency create chaos. Play your game. Let Riley be the one who blinks.

USC in 2026

No. 14 USC in the AP Top 25 (week 2, published September 8, 2026). Full Top 25 and where Oregon sits →

The USC we previewed in August is not the team Oregon is playing. The Trojans are 2-0 with a Week 0 win over San José State and a 39-0 shutout of Fresno State in which they allowed 116 yards and recorded two safeties, the first shutout of Lincoln Riley's tenure since 2024. Jayden Maiava has completed 48 of 54 for 635 yards and five touchdowns across the two games and was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on Sept 7. Gary Patterson took over the defense this offseason. The caveat worth stating plainly: neither opponent so far resembles Oregon, so nothing in those two games has tested any of it.

USC Snapshot

1-0

Oregon 2026

2-0

USC 2026

Head Coach: Lincoln Riley

All-time series: 24-38-2 Winsipedia

Jayden Maiava

48 of 54 for 635 yards and five touchdowns through two games, an 88.9 percent completion rate, and Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on Sept 7. Our August preview called his pocket composure the question. Two games against San José State and Fresno State have not answered it, but they have not raised it either.

Trent Mosley

A true freshman who enrolled early and now leads USC in receiving with 11 catches for 222 yards and three touchdowns. He also returned a punt 41 yards in the opener. He did not exist in any August scouting note on this team, and he is the single biggest change to the matchup.

Waymond Jordan

19 carries for 115 yards through two games, back from the injury that ended his 2025 after six games in which he averaged 6.5 yards a carry.

Kennedy Urlacher

Two sacks against Fresno State. Patterson is turning him loose from the secondary, which is a look Oregon's protection will have to identify.

By the Numbers, so far in 2026

Oregon PPG

40.5

USC PPG

Oregon Opp PPG

USC Opp PPG

Oregon: 1 game in 2026. USC: 2 games in 2026, derived from the ESPN team schedule (as of 2026-09-09).

Oregon Players to Watch

What to Watch

Oregon's Big Ten opener on the road, and the first real measurement of both teams. Watch how Dante Moore handles Coliseum noise on third down and whether the offensive line, which graded poorly in the opener, can communicate protections against a Gary Patterson front that just pitched a shutout. USC plays Louisiana on Sept 12 and travels to Rutgers on Sept 19 before this, so a cross-country noon Eastern kickoff the week before is a live variable for them. The betting market has not moved: Oregon opened around a 5.5-point favorite in July and was still there in September, which is a strange place for a line to sit given Oregon fell four spots in the polls and USC shut somebody out.

Ducks vs Them: USC

2025

Ducks vs Them: Oregon vs USC

The official pregame hype video from Oregon Athletics. W 42-27.

Via GoDucks / Oregon Athletics

The Call: our Oregon vs USC score prediction

1 for 1 on winners. 10 points off on the scores.

We say Oregon31 USC21

Medium-High confidence

Oregon's defensive line is the difference. Riley's offense will move the ball but the turnovers will come. USC at home is always tough but Oregon has more talent at more positions.

Think we are wrong? Say it with numbers.

Call the exact score and we put your name on this page. First name and an initial, nothing else, and a human reads it first.

How to Watch

TBD

TV Channel

TBD

Kickoff

Wear White

Fans Wear

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What to Wear

Oregon Athletics is asking fans to wear white for this one. If you need it, here is Oregon gear in that color on Amazon. The official Duck Store stocks it too and the school gets the money there, which is the better call if you do not mind paying a bit more.

Color per Oregon Athletics' published 2026 fan color schedule. The Amazon link is an affiliate link and we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you; the Duck Store link is not, and we mention it anyway.

Frequently Asked Questions

Oregon plays at USC on Saturday, September 26, 2026 at the LA Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles. It is Oregon's Big Ten conference opener.

Oregon's defensive line (Washington, Alexander, Tuioti, Uiagalelei) vs USC's offensive line is the matchup that decides the game. Oregon's front four is the best in the Big Ten. Also watch Dante Moore's first hostile road test at the Coliseum. Full rivalry history on our USC rivalry page.

Jayden Maiava, a redshirt senior who transferred from UNLV in January 2024. Maiava took over as the starter midseason in 2024 after Miller Moss was benched. He started all of 2025 and returns as USC's most experienced offensive player.

Lincoln Riley, in his fifth year at USC. Riley left Oklahoma after the 2021 season. He has not won a conference title at USC, reaching the 2022 Pac-12 Championship Game but losing to Utah. Gary Patterson joined as defensive coordinator in 2026.

Yes. Oregon has won at the Coliseum multiple times, including the famous Halloween game in 2009 (47-20) that announced Chip Kelly's program to the nation. The Ducks also won there in the Pac-12 era. Full rivalry history on our USC rivalry page.

USC is ranked No. 14 in the AP Top 25 (week Week 2). USC is 2-0 in 2026, most recently W 39-0 vs Fresno State Bulldogs, coached by Lincoln Riley. The USC we previewed in August is not the team Oregon is playing.

Can Oregon win at the Coliseum? What is your prediction?

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2026 Schedule

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Big Ten Opener at the Coliseum