Unless you’ve been living under a very large rock you’ve probably noticed that the Big Ten is expanding this upcoming season. The additions of USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon will drastically change the landscape of college football and continue to cement the Big Ten alongside the SEC as the nation’s premier conferences. While all four teams will pose unique challenges for their new conferences foes, they won’t join the Big Ten — officially official later this summer — without challenges of their own to overcome. Here’s an introductory look at each program, starting today with USC.
Last 10 Years: USC has managed to do a little bit of everything over the past 10 years. There have been 11-win seasons, four-win seasons and just about everything in between. After the departure of Pete Carroll following the 2009 season, the Trojans saw three head coaches come and go. They are now in the third season under offensive guru Lincoln Riley, who made the move to Los Angeles after seven years at Oklahoma, five as head coach. USC has gone 19-8 under Riley, who has translated his offense well to Southern California, but there are still some issues on the defensive side fo the ball. The Trojans have won four of their last nine bowl games, snapping a three-game losing streak this past season with a Holiday Bowl victory over Louisville. Summed up, USC has been solid in more recent years, but not without its warts.
Series History: USC is 6-4 against Penn State over the course of the 10-game series. The Trojans have won three-straight in the series, the most recent being a memorable Rose Bowl clash at the conclusion of the 2016 season. The current win-streak ties Penn State’s own longest streak against the Trojans after winning meetings in 1993, 1994 and 1996. Prior to Rose Bowl clashes in 2009 and 2017, the two teams faced off in the 1996 and 2000 Kickoff Classics in East Rutherford, New Jersey. USC hasn’t played in State College since 1994 and Penn State hasn’t played in California away from the Rose Bowl since 1991. The Nittany Lions have only won away from the East Coast once in the series, a 26-10 victory in the 1982 Fiesta Bowl in Arizona.
Offseason Stories: The biggest story for USC this offseason will be replacing the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, quarterback Caleb Williams. Nothing about replacing a starting quarterback is easy, let alone one with a Heisman to his name and high expectations in the NFL. Beyond a quarterback battle, the biggest question facing USC will be how the Trojans are able to acclimate to some of the challenges of playing in a new conference. USC has showcased explosive offense; is that the Trojans, or subpar defense in their former conference? Time will tell.
This Year: USC has quite the schedule this year facing LSU in Vegas, traveling to Michigan, Maryland, Washington and Minnesota while hosting Notre Dame, Penn State and Wisconsin. The new Big Ten comes with almost unbelievable schedules when you look at them on paper, and this one is no different. It’s hard to say exactly what to expect out of USC this year, but even with a quarterback change there’s no reason to think Lincoln Riley won’t be able to get his offense to put up points.
Known Future Meetings: Penn State travels to USC on Oct. 12 and will host the Trojans in 2026 before making the return trip to LA in 2028. So far, the Big Ten schedules don’t go further out than that, but it seems safe to assume that when they do, any game beyond 2028 will be back in State College. The Big Ten has generally done a good alternating home and away balance within series like these. The 2026 meeting will probably be the highlight of the Nittany Lions’ home slate, with Penn State hosting a modest collection of teams in Minnesota, Purdue, Rutgers and Wisconsin alongside the Trojans. Penn State will face Maryland, Michigan, Northwestern and Washington on the road that same year. How manageable that slate is — check back in a few years.
Overall: What USC looks like post-Caleb Williams is a big question mark for this program, let alone in a world where the Trojans are playing a host of quality teams each and every year. There’s no reason to think USC won’t be a contender in the Big Ten, but when that happens and how much of a player USC becomes is one of the biggest questions facing a new Big Ten.
