Oregon and USC have been conference foes since the 1920s when both were members of the Pacific Coast Conference. Last season, the two schools—along with their rivals UCLA and Washington—made the jump to the Big Ten, placing them in a Midwest-based league as power in college football continues to consolidate with the Big (now much more than) Ten and the SEC.
The Ducks thrived, winning the Big Ten in their first season and making a trip to the College Football Playoff. The transition has been more difficult for the Trojans, who went 7–6 with a 4–5 conference record last year. Oregon is on the outside looking in of a return to Indianapolis for the conference title game, but the Ducks are in prime CFP contention once again, with just one loss on their tally so far. USC has flown a bit under the radar, and may have been counted out after taking on a pair of losses by mid-October, but Riley’s team has shown resilience, and is a win in Eugene, Ore. away from being a very serious contender to reach the playoff for the first time in program history.
