2025 USC Football Schedule
Aug 30 Missouri State
Sept 6 Georgia Southern
Sept 13 at Purdue
Sept 20 Michigan State
Sept 27 at Illinois
Oct 4 OPEN DATE
Oct 11 Michigan
Oct 18 at Notre Dame
Oct 25 OPEN DATE
Nov 1 at Nebraska
Nov 8 Northwestern
Nov 15 Iowa
Nov 22 at Oregon
Nov 29 UCLA
Who is USC missing from the Big Ten schedule?
Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Ohio State, Pennsylvania State, Rutgers, Washington, and Wisconsin.
You’d assume USC would get Washington because of the Pacific Time Zone, but it’s off the schedule, which isn’t the biggest deal. The absence of Ohio State and Penn State, as well as Indiana, is significant; three Big Ten teams are missing from last year’s CFP rankings.
Missing Minnesota and Wisconsin isn’t a horrible thing, but you’d rather have Maryland and Rutgers on the schedule. And ā¦
USC football schedule: the good and the ugly
The Good: Playing Michigan isn’t ideal, but it’s in LA and comes after a week off.
The first two Big Ten games – Purdue and Michigan State – are against non-bowling teams, and there is at least a week break between the only back-to-back road games at Notre Dame and Nebraska.
Again, neither Ohio State nor Penn State could be everything. The Trojans may be favored in every Big Ten matchup, except for…
The Bad: Oregon. That is on the road late in the season. If everything is going well, that could be the game that derails everything.
Aside from the Purdue game, the remaining league road games are extremely difficult. The date at Illinois is far from certain, and despite having a week off to prepare, the date at Nebraska is a concern.
USC Football Schedule: Best and worst-case scenarios
Best Case Scenario: USC may not be flawless, but it wins at Illinois and defeats Michigan at home to get 6-0 before facing Notre Dame. It comes up big against Nebraska, wins at home, and suddenly the squad is unblemished in Big Ten play heading into the Oregon game.
Despite losing to Notre Dame and Oregon, the Trojans advanced to the College Football Playoff after winning the Big Ten Championship.
Worst-case scenario: The Trojans face the same close-game troubles as last year. They struggled against Michigan State at home and lost at Illinois. Worse, their runs at Michigan, Notre Dame, and Nebraska do not go well.
Realistically, they’ll get to six wins and go bowling, but they’ll need to beat UCLA first.
Season Prediction: (February 1). USC enjoys a good season. It may not be the dominant campaign Trojan fans desire, and it will not prevent Lincoln Riley’s season from deteriorating, but it will win enough games to reach nine.
Three losses will come from Notre Dame, Illinois, Nebraska, Oregon, and Michigan. The key question will be if the Trojans can prevent a slide against Iowa or UCLA.