With the historic Notre Dame series on indefinite hold for USC football, the Trojans on Wednesday officially announced their third nonconference opponent, which they will face in Week 0: San Jose State University. USC will take on the Spartans on Aug. 29 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, rounding out their twelve-game 2026 schedule.

The Trojans had faced off against the Fighting Irish almost every year since 1926 before reported negotiation conflicts put the rivalry on pause until at least the 2030 season.

Following the fallout, Notre Dame quickly shifted and signed a deal to play BYU, a top Big 12 opponent that nearly made the College Football Playoff in 2026, for the next two seasons. The Spartans, a member of the Mountain West Conference, however, are not as prestigious as an opponent, coming from outside the Power 4 and having lost all six of their meetings with USC previously.

In her November State of Troy address, Athletic Director Jennifer Cohen promised at least one Power 4 opponent in USC’s nonconference schedule in an effort to create and embrace challenging matchups early in the season. While the rest of the Power 4 conferences require their teams to play other Power 4 squads, the Big 10 remains the only conference that does not mandate this rule.

This effectively allows the Trojans to face San Jose State, Fresno State and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, all teams coming from non-power conferences.

Nonetheless, since San Jose State takes on Hawai’i in Honolulu, the Hawai’i exception is officially in play. This means that the Spartans are allowed to schedule a game during Week 0, and with USC being the perfect fit, it allows the Trojans to start the season with three easy home games.