Midseason TV Ratings Paint the Picture of USC Trojans' Season So Far

The No. 19 USC Trojans remain one of the biggest brands in college football and have been under the public eye for every win and loss. Now that they’ve reached the midseason point, here’s a look back at their past games and how much views the Trojans have been generating. All numbers are tracked by Nielsen Media Research.

1. Oregon at USC (Week 4)

USC Trojans Oregon Ducks Big Ten Dan Lanning Lincoln Riley — Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, left, shakes hands with USC head coach Lincoln Riley as the Oregon Ducks face the USC Trojans on Sept. 26, 2026, at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

To no surprise, the clash between longtime Pac-12 rivals, top-25 conference battle, with 4:30 p.m. PT kickoff time on NBC comes in at No. 1 with 4.57 million views.

Lots of narratives coming into the game as well. Can Lincoln Riley win the big one? Is Oregon on fraud watch after losing to Oklahoma State? For in-game action, linebacker Desman Stephens II’s hit on Dante Moore sparked fights on the gridiron and debates online. Then there was also a redemption story for Dylan Raiola, who led the Ducks to a 41-27 win.

2. USC at Penn State (Week 6)

USC Trojans Penn State Nittany Lions Jayden Maiava Rocco Becht Lincoln Riley Matt Campbell White Out — Oct 10, 2026; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Southern California Trojans cornerback Chasen Johnson (27) recovers the fumble during the fourth quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

White Out crowd at Beaver Stadium, 2.92 million viewers, prime time on NBC. The atmosphere alone tends to bring in views, but Riley and the Trojans still had questions about performing on the road. In the end, USC silenced all the doubters – no mistakes on offense, close-out win for defense – and started a new win streak.

3. Washington at USC (Week 5)

USC Trojans Washington Huskies Demond Williams Jr Jayden Maiava Jedd Fisch Lincoln Riley King Miller Kameryn Crawford — Oct 3, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans running back King Miller (8) runs the ball against the Washington Huskies during the second half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Griffin Hooper-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There was a lot riding on this game. Could USC bounce back from a humbling loss at home? Can the Trojans’ pass rush come alive and contain a dual-threat quarterback? Those questions were answered in a 25-21 thriller against the Huskies. The final result was 2.56 million viewers (prime time on NBC).

4. San José State at USC (Week 0)

USC Trojans Big Ten Lincoln Riley Jayden Maiava Gary Patterson Jide Abasiri Luke Wafle Trent Mosley Kayden Dixon-Wyatt — Aug 29, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley head coach Lincoln Riley Lincoln Riley Riley enters the field before the game against the San José State Spartans at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Week 0 viewership numbers across the board tend to be low, but the Trojans did a solid job of bringing in viewers with 1.86 million for a noon kickoff time on NBC. Jayden Maiava and the Trojans’ offense took care of business in the first half of action – 28 unanswered points – while the defense held the Spartans scoreless. The young bucks and rotational players took on the rest of the snaps in their 42-26 victory.

5. USC at Rutgers (Week 3)

USC Trojans Rutgers Scarlet Knights KJ Duff Kayden Dixon-Wyatt Big Ten — Sep 19, 2026; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; USC Trojans wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt (17) catches a two-point conversion pass during the second half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

1.72 million watchers and fans who had no horse in this race ended up with an explosive, back-and-forth battle between the Trojans and Scarlet Knights (CBS, 12:30 p.m. PT/3:30 p.m. ET). USC fans may have not liked what they saw, but they still came away with a 4-0 start to the season.

6. Fresno State at USC (Week 1)

USC Trojans Fresno State Bulldogs Jayden Maiava Lincoln Riley King Miller Waymond Jordan Mark Bowman Tanook Hines — Sep 4, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) throws the ball against the Fresno State Bulldogs in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For the Trojans’ Week 1 matchup against the Fresno State Bulldogs – 6:00 p.m. PT on Fox – 1.322 million viewers tuned in. The defense pitched its first and only shutout of the season thanks to five sacks – two coming from Kennedy Urlacher – and seven tackles for loss. Maiava was also slicing-and-dicing with a completion percentage of 92, 349 yards and three touchdowns.

7. Louisiana at USC (Week 2)

USC Trojans Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Kennedy Urlacher Alex Graham Christian Pierce Prophet Brown Jontez Williams — Sep 12, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns tight end Brock Chappell (83) carries the ball against Southern California Trojans safety Kennedy Urlacher (9) in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This is when the defensive concerns started to swirl. Luckily for the Trojans, the game was broadcasted on the Big Ten Network and had a late time slot (8:00 p.m. PT/11:00 p.m. ET), resulting in 390,000 views.

USC at Wisconsin (Week 8)

USC Trojans Wisconsin Badgers Big Ten Luke Fickell Lincoln Riley — Oct 3, 2026; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers head coach Luke Fickell during the game against the Michigan State Spartans at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

On Oct. 12, the Big Ten conference revealed the kickoff times for their Week 8 slate of games. Southern Cal will have their third-consecutive prime time game with a 4:30 p.m PT kickoff time in Madison.

According to Nielsen tracking data, Wisconsin is averaging 7.421 million viewers which places them No. 2 in the nation. In Week 7, the Badgers will be traveling to SoCal for an exciting matchup against the No. 12 UCLA Bruins. If Luke Fickell and the Badgers are able to cool down Bob Chesney and the Bruins, there’s a chance Wisconsin-USC could be a top-25 game on Oct. 24.

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