USC will have to travel a tough road in the Big Ten to reach CFP in 2026

USC has spent much of the offseason building a roster to make the CFP in 2026. The Trojans had the No. 1 recruiting class in the country and added some major pieces through the transfer portal. And the final move was to add Hall of Fame coach Gary Patterson to the staff as defensive coordinator.

It turns out the Trojans will need every bit of talent and coaching they can muster up for the schedule that lies ahead. USC will be running the gauntlet in the Big Ten this year with a road game against the reigning national champions Indiana and home games against Oregon and Ohio State. 

USC has a tough road to reach the CFP

The Trojans still have a game to add on Week Zero to fill out the schedule. Things should get off to a pretty good start with three straight home games (TBD, Fresno State and Louisiana) before a conference road opener at Rutgers.

After that, things get considerably difficult. USC will host Oregon on September 26 in its first big test of the season, followed by a Washington team that's also trying to find its way into the playoffs on October 3 and a Penn State squad that should be much improved under new head coach Matt Campbell.

USC has a bye week before a road game at Wisconsin on October 24 and the home game against the Buckeyes. The Trojans got another bye before the road game against Indiana, and they close out the season at home against Maryland and against UCLA either in the Rose Bowl or at SoFi Stadium.

If it sounds like a lot, that's because it is. USC is going to have to face three teams that made the playoffs last season and a pretty strong Washington team. The road games against Penn State and Wisconsin are going to test the Trojans' mental toughness with back-to-back trips across multiple time zones, but they will have a break in between them.

Now we wait because August 29 will be here sooner than you think.