USC Trojans vs. Oregon Ducks: ESPN College GameDay Destination?

Today, the show is a staple of college football, leaving fans eager for their destinations each week. 

The Trojans have not been seen on College GameDay since 2016, when the USC traveled to Seattle, Washington for a Pac-12 game with the Huskies. The Trojans handed the No. 4 undefeated Huskies their first loss of the season. 

The last time USC hosted College GameDay was in 2013 – when No. 5 Stanford traveled to South Central for a late Pac-12 game in November. 

The Trojans’ have a mountain of pressure heading into this season – whether it's the high expectation of quarterback Jayden Maiava to emerge as a top-tier signal caller, or for Lincoln Riley to lead the Trojans back to Playoff contention after their 7-6 finish in 2024. 

Prior to their Week 13 matchup with the Ducks, USC faces a difficult stretch of games potentially worthy of College GameDay’s attention – including at Illinois, Michigan and at Notre Dame. 

The Trojans and Ducks matchup comes as the predicted best game of the week instead of Tennessee at Florida, Colorado at Arizona State, Arkansas at Texas and a rivalry game for Cal at Stanford.  

However, the Trojans' track record against the Ducks does not give USC fans much confidence in this year's game – especially on the Ducks’ home turf. 

USC has not defeated Oregon since 2016, dropping three straight games since then The most recent in 2023 was a 36-27 loss in Eugene, highlighting the need for improvement. 

The Ducks are down a significant number of starters after the program-record 10 players were drafted in the 2025 NFL Draft. However, this does not mean that head coach Dan Lanning has abused the transfer portal to make up for the missing pieces. 

Key additions including quarterback Dante Moore, wide receiver Evan Stewart and corner Jadon Canady are expected to fill big shoes leaning into the 2025 season.

The Trojans filled the running back room with two promising transfers in New Mexico State’s Eli Sanders and Hutchinson Community College’s Waymond Jordan. While their previous teams do not match with Big Ten competition, both backs bring skill-sets that will fit perfectly into Riley’s offense. 

If the Trojans live up to national expectations, a game in Eugene with a potential College GameDay appearance, should be an exciting matchup for two Big Ten contenders.