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USC football will open season against San Jose State on Aug. 29



The team to be named later on USC’s football schedule was identified Wednesday.

The Trojans will open the season against San Jose State on Aug. 29 at the Coliseum after Notre Dame fell off their schedule, necessitating the addition of another nonconference opponent.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 29: Head coach Lincoln Riley of the USC Trojans looks on prior to a game against the UCLA Bruins at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 29, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
UCLA v USC Getty Images
USC head coach Lincoln Riley on the field during a game. AP
USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley and players looking on before a game. Getty Images

The early date of the game was a result of USC having two byes on its schedule. Playing on Week Zero at home instead of internationally or at a neutral site required an exemption from the NCAA. San Jose State qualified as an opponent that fit the Trojans’ needs because it faces Hawaii this season, providing the Spartans the option of playing an additional game; it will be the first time they have played a 13-game schedule since 2017.

With the exception of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, this will be the first season that USC will not play Notre Dame since the end of World War II. The teams are on an indefinite break from facing one another after discussions to continue the rivalry broke down in December.

Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) carries the ball in the Alamo Bowl. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Trojans pivoted to what might feel like a certain victory. USC has gone 6-0 in its history against San Jose State, with every game coming at the Coliseum. In their most recent meeting, the Trojans beat the Spartans, 56-28, in their 2023 season opener.

Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo on the sidelines during a football game. AP
Ken Niumatalolo, head coach of Navy football, wearing a headset and a Navy polo shirt. AP

San Jose State is entering its third season under coach Ken Niumatalolo, the former longtime Navy coach who has gone 10-15 with the Spartans. After his dismissal from the Midshipmen, Niumatalolo spent one season as director of leadership at UCLA in 2023 — when the Bruins beat the Trojans at the Coliseum — before taking the San Jose State job. Niumatalolo led his new team to an appearance in the Hawaii Bowl during his first season before the Spartans slipped to a 3-9 record last season.

San Jose State will face long odds in its return to the Coliseum given that teams from the Mountain West Conference have gone 1-1-39 against the Trojans (including two wins vacated because of NCAA penalties).

USC will play Fresno State on Sept. 5 at the Coliseum followed by another home game Sept. 12 against Louisiana. It will be a home-heavy start to the season for the Trojans, who will play five of their first six games at the Coliseum.