The USC Trojans will open the 2026 season at the Coliseum with Week Zero on Aug. 29, but the opponent has yet to be chosen.
Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley and company now have a new option with the new kid on the block in the FBS, North Dakota State. Ten-time FCS champions, the Bison announced the move up to the FBS and Mountain West Conference on Monday.
USC won’t play a Big Ten game for that opener, so the spot remains open for a nonconference game. The Trojans’ only two nonconference opponents are Fresno State on Sept. 5 and Louisiana on Sept. 12. Notre Dame won’t play USC in 2026, which leaves the third nonconference opening.
NDSU has played former Pac-12 teams in recent years, with contests against Arizona in 2022 and Colorado in 2024. The Bison nearly beat both teams, and NDSU has a penchant for upsetting FBS teams with a 9-5 record since 2006.
NDSU’s wins include Minnesota twice, Iowa State, Kansas State, Kansas, and a then-No. 13 Iowa squad. The Bison have also soundly beaten or dominated Group of Six teams such as Ball State, Central Michigan, and Colorado State.
Why Playing NDSU Would Benefit USC
NDSU would not be a cupcake for the Trojans to devour in Zero Week.
The Bison only got beat handily once in those 14 FBS games, and NDSU dominated the entire FCS for 15 years. NDSU plays a physical brand of football on defense and pounds opponents with the running game.
It’s the kind of game USC needs before a physical Big Ten season, which has been an issue for the Trojans since leaving the Pac-12. In addition, a win over NDSU would look better to the College Football Playoff committee instead of a win over most other Group of Six teams and possibly some Power Four squads. NDSU regularly sends players to the NFL via the draft, and 18 players are currently on NFL teams or practice squads.
“I like our ability to go in and compete and not figure out as we go. We’re not doing that here,” Bison head coach Tim Polasek told reporters on Monday. “This is about winning, it always has been, but there is going to be a process to figure out exactly where we need to improve and continue to attack that like always.”
NDSU also doesn’t shy away from big-time competition. The Bison have Oregon on the schedule for 2028, and Kansas State was the Big 12 champion the year before the Bison played the Wildcats in 2013.
USC Has 1 Tie to NDSU
USC already has familiarity with the NDSU program because former Trojans linebackers coach Matt Entz came over from Fargo after coaching the Bison from 2019 to 2023.
Entz left USC in 2025 to coach Fresno State, where he led the Bulldogs to a 9-4 record. Fresno State has left the Mountain West for the Pac-12 and will look to make the most of a Power Four game against the Trojans, since the Pac-12 has been downgraded to a Group of Six conference.
Regardless of who the Trojans schedule, it behooves USC to get off to a strong start before Big Ten play ramps up with Rutgers and Oregon in late September.
USC Has New Option For Week Zero Game