Upcoming game against Oregon will say a lot about USC team's progress

The days of the former Pac-12 stronghold remain in the current Big Ten, with USC, Oregon, UCLA, and Washington remaining conference opponents even after alignment. For the 2025 season, the Trojans will head off to Autzen for a November 22 matchup during Week 13.

While the Ducks have looked better in more recent memory, the upcoming game will be a great chance for the Trojans to remind the Northwest team of which of them is better all-time head-to-head with a 38-2-23 record against Oregon.

Coach Dan Lanning may have done well over the past couple of seasons. This year, the Ducks will have Dante Moore at quarterback. Although, to this point, it is still an open QB competition, with Austin Novosad also competing for the job. In either case, there isn't too much that should scream confidence. There will certainly be a drop-off from when Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel were up in Eugene.

Compare the overall situation at USC with Oregon, and the Ducks, in truth, simply did well to take advantage of the Trojans being down as a program. Those days are very quickly coming to a close, however.

Important one for USC fans to circle

USC is taking the needed steps in order to be a national contender for a playoff spot again. By the time this game in particular rolls around, the Trojans will either still be in the thick of things for this year or already be out of the picture, for 2025 at least.

There are certain litmus tests throughout any season. Especially now with a Big Ten schedule, there are going to be more. Due to historic importance, immediate past relevancy, and the trajectory of the program, the late-November game this year for USC against Oregon will mean that much more. Considering how coach Lincoln Riley's staff has the team looking now, the Trojans could very well be in a position to win that one on the road.