USC's 2025 football schedule was officially released Wednesday.
The Trojans open the season Aug. 30 at home in the Coliseum vs. Missouri State, which is making the transition from its final season in the FCS this year to FBS-level Conference USA next season, and then host Georgia Southern and former USC head coach Clay Helton on Sept. 6.
It will be USC's first game again either program.
The Trojans open Big Ten play Sept. 13 at Purdue and also have conference road games at Illinois (Sept. 27), Nebraska (Nov. 1) and Oregon (Nov. 22), with home games against Michigan State (Sept. 20), Michigan (Sept. 1), Northwestern (Nov. 8), Iowa (No. 15 and UCLA (Nov. 29).
The annual non-conference rivalry game with Notre Dame is Oct 18 in South Bend, Indiana.
The Trojans have bye weeks the first weekend in October, between the Illinois and Michigan games, and the weekend of Oct. 25 between the road trips to Notre Dame and Nebraska.
USC faces two 2024 College Football playoff teams in Notre Dame (presently 11-1 and ranked No. 3) and Oregon (13-0, No. 1), but the schedule also features five Big Ten teams that had losing records this season: Purdue (1-11), Michigan State (5-7), Nebraska (6-6), Northwestern (4-8) and UCLA (5-7), and the two Group of Five teams, though both Missouri State (in its final year of FCS football) and Georgia Southern had successful 2024 seasons while going 8-4.
While USC faces reigning Big Ten champion Oregon on the road, it avoids three of the top four teams in the Big Ten from the final 2024 standings (Indiana, Penn State and Ohio State). Meanwhile, Illinois (9-3), Michigan (7-5) and Iowa (8-4) also had winning records this year.
Here's the last time USC faced each of its 2025 opponents (aside from annual rivals UCLA and Notre Dame):
Missouri State, Georgia Southern: Never
Purdue: The Trojans are 3-1 all-time against the Boilermakers, last facing them in 1998 when USC won 27-17 in the Coliseum.
Michigan State: USC is tied 4-4 in its series with Michigan State, last falling to the Spartans 16-17 in the 1990 John Hancock Bowl in El Paso, Texas.
Illinois: USC holds an 11-2 record all-time against Illinois, last defeating them in the 2008 Rose Bowl 49-17.
Michigan: The Trojans lead 6-5 all-time in their series with the Wolverines, including the 27-24 loss in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this past season. Michigan has not played in the Coliseum since 1957.
Nebraska: USC is 5-0-1 against the Cornhuskers, including a 28-20 win this season in Los Angeles. The Trojans last played at Nebraska in 2007.
Northwestern: USC has a 5-0 record against the Wildcats having last faced them in 1956 Rose Bowl where the Trojans secured a 41-32 victory.
Iowa: USC is 7-3 all-time against the Hawkeyes, most recently falling to the Hawkeyes, 39-24, in the 2019 Holiday Bowl.
Oregon: USC holds a 38-23-2 all-time lead in its series with Oregon (not including 1 win vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 39-23-2), last falling to the Ducks 36-27 in in Autzen Stadium in 2023.
