USC Trojans vs. Penn State Nittany Lions Prime Time Kickoff Announced

The No. 14 USC Trojans will head out to State College, Pennsylvania for only the third time in program history.

The highly-anticipated clash with the No. 18 Penn State Nittany Lions now has its kickoff time and TV channel announced, setting up a prime time matchup under the lights at Penn State.

USC Trojans vs. Penn State in Prime Time

USC Trojans Penn State Nittany Lions Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum College Football Big Ten Lincoln Riley Matt Campbell — Oct 12, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans players run on to United Airlines Field for the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The latest Trojans versus Nittany Lions showdown is set for 4:30 p.m. PT on Oct. 10 and will air on NBC as the network's Big Ten Saturday marquee contest, announced Aug. 25.

USC already knows what color it'll see in the stands inside Beaver Stadium. It's not limited to Penn State's famed Nittany Navy color either.

The school already has selected the USC game as Penn State's iconic "White Out" game, meaning the fans will rock the white shirts and aim to create high decibel levels for coach Lincoln Riley and company.

USC becomes the third straight former Pac-12 representative to make the cross country trip to the Keystone State. Washington showed up in 2024 and took a 35-6 beatdown during November, which was in its first season as a Big Ten member.

But USC could take cues from rival Oregon on how to withstand the noise inside PSU's venue. The Ducks faced a similar hostile environment one year ago and escaped with a 30-24 road win in overtime.

USC vs. Penn State Takes on Reunion Meaning too

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Matt Campbell Penn State Nittany Lions D'Anton Lynn Gary Patterson Big Ten Conference — Oct 12, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley during a time out against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

And not just limited to Riley facing off against an old Big 12 coaching foe in Matt Campbell either. Even though this will mark the first time the former Oklahoma and Iowa State head coach will try to outscheme one another as USC and Penn State leaders, respectively.

USC will also see a very familiar face on the other side in former defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn.

The past Riley assistant is back at his alma mater and this time, serves as the right hand on defense for the first-year Nittany Lions coach Campbell. Lynn will know the personnel groupings plus player strengths on USC's defense. But he'll also know how to attack quarterback Jayden Maiava plus feed Campbell intel on the Trojans' offense including the routes in the air attack.

Lynn left behind the nation's 51st ranked defense that allowed 350.8 yards per game. But struggled at defending the run in allowing more than 143 yards per contest.

Now another past Big 12 coach will aim to fix the USC defense in Gary Patterson, whose TCU teams tangled with Campbell's Cyclone squads often.

USC and Penn State will meet for the 12th time ever, with the former owning a 6-5 overall record in the series. A James Franklin Penn State team escaped with a 33-30 road win inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum back in 2024.

Both Penn State and USC are ranked in the preseason AP Top 25 Poll, and the Trojans may in fact be the highest-ranked opponents on the Nittany Lions' schedule. Can USC come away with a win on the road in prime time?

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