Oregon–USC football rivalry

The two West Coast schools were conference opponents for over a century, originally members of the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) from 1922 to 1958, before joining what would much later become the Pac-12 Conference from 1959 to 2023. On June 30, 2022, USC announced that they were invited to join the Big Ten Conference,^[3] and were scheduled to begin conference play in 2024. Over a year later, on August 4, 2023, Oregon announced that they too would make the move to the Big Ten,^[4] allowing this West Coast clash to transcend conferences once again.

Oregon won the first match between the two teams, in a dominant 34–0 victory over USC, lighting a fire under the Trojans, who would go on to win the next 8 matchups,^[5] with the streak ending in a tie on September 30, 1939. In their second ever matchup, USC and Oregon faced off on November 25, 1920, in Pasadena, California, with USC winning 21–0.^[6] Oregon, who at the time had the name “Oregon Webfoots”, was a member of the Pacific Coast Conference, USC was set to join, but remained Independent at the time of the matchup. Though the matchup was in Pasadena at Tournament Park, this wasn't the annual Rose Bowl Game. At the time, USC had frequently played games at Tournament Park between 1918 and 1921, up until the Rose Bowl Stadium was constructed in 1922,^[7] as well as the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum a year afterwards in 1923.^[8]

On November 29, 1985, both USC and Oregon traveled to Tokyo, Japan, to face off in the ninth annual Mirage Bowl, where USC won 20–6. In the third quarter, USC Linebacker Rex Moore violently hit Oregon Quarterback Chris Miller after he had run out of bounds, drawing a personal foul. USC won the game despite untidy play. In a post game interview, USC head coach Ted Tollner said, “I’m pleased with the win, but I was disappointed with our execution in the second half when it got sloppy…”^[9]

In 2020, COVID-19 rocked the nation, and didn't spare College Football. During the shortened season, Oregon met USC on December 18, 2020, in the 2020 Pac-12 Football Championship Game. (The University of Washington was set to play in the matchup, yet failed to have enough scholarship athletes healthy to be able to participate.)^[10] Originally, the 2020 Pac-12 Championship was set to be held in Allegiant Stadium, in Las Vegas, Nevada, however, due to the ongoing pandemic, the game was played on USC's home field, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum,^[11] where Oregon beat the Trojans 31–24, claiming their 2nd straight Pac-12 Championship, and their last out of 9 total.

November 22, 2025, was the first time that these two schools matched up in Big Ten conference play. ESPN's College Gameday broadcast live from Memorial Quad. The Ducks won 42–27 over the Trojans.^[12] On September 26 that year, the Big Ten launched their new Rivalry Series (Presented by Venmo), in which it listed USC at Oregon as one of the rivalry matchups,^[13] finally acknowledging, and recognizing the long fought, ongoing feud between Oregon and USC for West Coast dominance.

Despite this rivalry only now getting coverage once again, this matchup between the Trojans and the Ducks has been talked about for quite some time. "USC vs. Oregon is perhaps one of the best new rivalries in college football..." Chris Anderson, a journalist for Bleacher Report wrote in 2011. "It pits former Pac-10 dynasty—USC—against the Pac-12's rising powerhouse—Oregon—in a battle that will decide the Pac-12 conference title this year as well as Pac-12 titles in the foreseeable future." "Though unconventional rivals," Anderson later mentions, "whenever Oregon and USC are playing against one another, expect to see plenty of tension and bitterness expressed on the field."^[14]

Austin Green wrote in a live article for The Athletic, "Today, we’ll be bringing you everything you need to know about Week 13's only ranked matchup — No. 15 USC at No. 7 Oregon. That‘s right, it’s an old Pac-12 rivalry renewed in the Big Ten with massive College Football Playoff implications in store." This live article continues on to mention the history between the two teams, after being adversaries for so long. "Unlike the case with most of their new opponents in the expanded Big Ten, [USC and Oregon] have plenty of familiarity with each other thanks to their history as rivals in the old Pac-12." ^[15] A week or so earlier, Kyron Samuels hyped up the upcoming face-off in an article for Sports Illustrated writing, "The No. 8-ranked Oregon Ducks will host the No. 17 USC Trojans in Eugene in what is a matchup that meets every criterion for college football madness. A legacy rivalry, playoff stakes, NFL draft stock, legendary coaching matchup, and as good a home-field environment as anyone could ask for in football."^[16]

Game results sources:^[17][18][19]

• List of NCAA college football rivalry games