The University of Southern California (USC) has a storied history of facing off against Big Ten teams in college football. Over the past century, the Trojans have played against Big Ten opponents 95 times, with 75 wins and 20 losses.
Their first game against a Big Ten opponent was in 1925, when they defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes 18-0. More recently, USC lost to Iowa in the 2019 Holiday Bowl. In five years, the Trojans will rejoin the Big Ten along with UCLA, Washington, and Oregon after a hiatus from playing against Big Ten teams.
Throughout its history, USC has dominated Big Ten opponents with an all-time record of .714 (75-30). The Trojans have particularly excelled against Michigan and Ohio State since 1970, boasting a record of 14-3. Before Clay Helton became head coach, USC had a seven-game winning streak against Ohio State.
Despite having only one losing record against the Big Ten in one decade (the 1940s), USC has gone undefeated against Big Ten opponents for a staggering 16 years from 1998 to 2014. During this time, they beat powerhouse teams like Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State.
However, during Clay Helton’s tenure as head coach, USC struggled against Big Ten teams with a record of just 1-3. They lost to Nebraska and Iowa in the Holiday Bowl and to Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl under Urban Meyer. Fans can find more college football coverage on sites like Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, Ducks Wire, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire. For NFL draft coverage
