Penn State's Potential 'White Out' Game Revealed

With Penn State playing Big Ten home games against Wisconsin, Purdue, Minnesota and Rutgers, the Trojans are the biggest road team the Nittany Lions will see next season. 

USC’s trip to Happy Valley wraps up a tough three game stretch for them to start the 2026 season. 

Southern Cal will host Oregon on Sept. 26. It will the first time the longtime West Coast rivals have played easy other in September since 2005 and will certainly have some early season College Football Playoff implications. 

The following week USC will host Washington in what figures to be another top 25 matchup for the Trojans. And with a cross-country trip to Penn State, there’s a very good chance Southern Cal plays three ranked opponents before the halfway point of the season. 

Road Struggles in Big Ten Under Lincoln Riley 

Last season, the Trojans played Nebraska in a “Blackout” game under the lights in late November. USC went into a hostile road environment and struggled mightily for almost three quarters against the Cornhuskers, especially quarterback Jayden Maiava, who went 9 of 23 for 135 yards and an interception. 

USC trailed 14-6 at the half and then former Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola suffered a broken fibula in the third quarter, which dramatically shifted the game. 

Maiava engineered two scoring drives in the second half after Raiola’s injury and the Trojans defense allowed just three points in the final 30 minutes to edge the Cornhuskers 21-17. 

The hope is that the game serves as a learning experience before they possibly face Penn State in an equally, if not tougher environment because they didn’t play well in the contest and they haven’t on the road in their two seasons in the Big Ten.

USC did not win a single road game outside the state in 2024 and then defeated Purdue and Nebraska on the road in 2025. But this was a different team away from the Coliseum and it showed in their three losses at Illinois, Notre Dame and Oregon. 

The Trojans have to shift the narrative in 2026 because they already have a rough home schedule, in addition to traveling to Penn State and Indiana. It's the next step in the program's ascension under Lincoln Riley, finding a way to win tough games on the road. And it starts with Maiava becoming more consistent in these environments.