USC-Oregon Clash at the Coliseum Slated for Late-Afternoon Kickoff on NBC

Southern California’s September 26 home football game against Oregon now has a broadcast window. The Big Ten matchup will kick off at 4:30 p.m. Pacific from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and air nationally on NBC, per an announcement made Monday.

The game marks the Trojans’ return home after they open conference play on the road this week at Rutgers. Coming back to face the Ducks gives USC one of its most high-profile home dates of the season against a program it has a long competitive history with dating back to their Pac-12 days.

The television assignment falls to Comcast-owned NBC, which carries a package of Big Ten games as part of the conference’s expanded media rights agreements. Comcast, classified in the Communication Services sector and trading recently around $24.55, down about 1.27% from its prior close, has leaned on live sports as a key draw for its broadcast and Peacock streaming platforms.

The game’s billing has shifted in recent days. Oregon entered the season as a top-15 team, but a surprising defeat at Oklahoma State on Saturday dropped the Ducks 15 places to No. 21 in the latest AP Poll. That removes some of the top-15 luster from the matchup, though the stakes for both programs remain considerable as they navigate the early Big Ten schedule.

For USC, the timing of a marquee home game carries added weight. The program drew attention for lower-than-expected attendance during its first two home contests, a subject coach Lincoln Riley addressed publicly earlier this month. A late-afternoon national broadcast against a longtime rival offers the school a chance to showcase the Coliseum environment to a broader audience.

Beyond the atmosphere, the result could shape both teams’ conference trajectories. With the Big Ten season just beginning, an early head-to-head between two of the league’s West Coast members carries implications for the standings and for how each program’s season narrative develops.

What to watch

• USC’s result at Rutgers this week, which will set the stage for the Oregon game.
• Attendance figures at the Coliseum on September 26, following scrutiny of early-season turnout.
• Both teams’ positions in upcoming AP Top 25 polls as conference play begins.
• NBC’s ratings for the game, a data point for Big Ten media-rights performance under Comcast.

Source: original release