USC Adds Familiar Non-Conference Opponent to Round Out Season Schedule

The USC Trojans finally have all 12 of their opponents for the upcoming 2026 season set. USC will kick off in Week 0 against the San Jose State Spartans, a team that USC has been a custom to facing in non-conference in recent years.

Oct 21, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches from the sidelines against the Utah Utes in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans have announced who their 12th opponent for the 2026 college football season will be. USC will be taking on the San Jose State Spartans instead of having their annual rivalry game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. 

USC Trojans to Face San Jose State Spartans in Week 0

Aug 26, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley following the victory against the San Jose State Spartans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

USC and San Jose State will kick off their 2026 seasons’ in Week 0 on Saturday Aug. 29 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. There is not a scheduled time for kickoff yet. 

These two programs have played against each other six previous times, with USC winning all six of them. The most recent game was in 2023, where the Trojans beat the Spartans 56-28 at the Coliseum. The two also played in 2021.

Aug 26, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Zachariah Branch (1) runs the ball ahead of San Jose State Spartans linebacker Jordan Pollard (10) during the second half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Last season in 2025, San Jose State had a disappointing 3-9 season. They went 2-6 in Mountain West conference play and finished tied for ninth place. 

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Notre Dame Fighting Irish, USC Trojans Not Playing in 2026

Oct 14, 2023; South Bend, Indiana, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley and Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman chat before the game at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images | Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

A reason why this game with San Jose State took so long to be scheduled was due to the fact that USC and Notre Dame will not be playing each other this season. There were scheduling disagreements on both sides that led to a halt in the game being played. The schools hopefully will try to resolve things eventually, but for now, one of college football most historic rivalries between two decorated programs will not be taking place.    

USC and Notre Dame have played one another 96 times dating all the way back to their first meeting in 1926. Notre Dame leads the all-time series 51-37-5. 

This game not happening is a direct result of the new day in age of college football with conference realignment and the expanded College Football Playoff. 

Changes in College Football

Oct 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans running back King Miller (30) runs to the 19-yard line in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The landscape of college football completely changed two years ago when conference realignment ran rampant. After decades of being in the Pac-8/Pac-10/Pac-12, USC along with the UCLA Bruins, Oregon Ducks, and Washington Huskies moved to the Big Ten conference. 

This expanded the Big Ten to 18 teams that includes many premier programs. Being in a conference like this with countless big-time matchups between elite teams, there’s not as much of a need for a team to go out and schedule a difficult team in the non-conference slate. 

Furthermore, with the playoff now at 12-teams, programs like USC are expected to be in there with the amount of resources they spent on the program. Playing an elite non-conference program like Notre Dame every year can make that more difficult when there is a grueling conference schedule in addition. 

USC's 2026 conference schedule is arguably the most difficult in the entire country. They face three teams that were in the playoff quarterfinal last season: the defending national champion Indiana Hoosiers, Oregon Ducks and Ohio State Buckeyes. Here is USC's complete schedule now.

Aug. 29 vs. San Jose State Spartans
Sept. 5 vs. Fresno State Bulldogs
Sept. 12 vs. Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Sept. 19 at Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Sept. 26 vs. Oregon Ducks
Oct. 3 vs. Washington Huskies
Oct. 10 at Penn State Nittany Lions
Oct. 24 at Wisconsin Badgers
Oct. 31 vs. Ohio State Buckeyes
Nov. 14 at Indiana Hoosiers
Nov. 21 vs. Maryland Terrapins
Nov. 28 at UCLA Bruins