Louisiana Football to Play USC Trojans in 2026
Abdul Abusada • December 11, 2025
The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team are scheduled to meet with the USC Trojans in Los Angeles, California on Saturday, September 12, 2026, Cajuns Insider learned. USC will host the Cajuns at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, with UL getting a $1.3 million guarantee for playing the game, according to Kevin Kelley of FBSchedules.com.
This will be the first ever football matchup between the two schools. USC, a Big Ten school, has a record of 2-0 against Sun Belt teams, while Louisiana has an 0-6 record against Big Ten opponents. UL will have a chance to earn their first win against a Big Ten opponent when they make the cross-country trip to Los Angeles.
USC finished the regular season with a 9-3 record and ranked 16th in the CFP Top 25, which included wins against #15 Michigan and #21 Iowa. They finished the season top 10 in total offense, averaging 472 yards and 36.5 points per game. R-Jr QB Jayden Maiava and R-Fr RB King Miller have been on the throne for this high-powered offense, both with the potential of returning to USC next season for another run at the playoffs. The Trojans are currently set to face the TCU Horned Frogs in the Alamo Bowl.
With this addition, Louisiana's non-conference schedule, as of now, appears to be set for 2026. The Cajuns will play all four non-conference opponents in the first four weeks of their season, kicking off against an FCS opponent, the Lamar Cardinals, in Lafayette on September 5th. They will then head to Los Angeles to face USC the next week, then will be back home to face the UAB Blazers of the American Conference on September 19th. Following that game, the Cajuns are currently scheduled to play in Ruston against a familiar foe in Louisiana Tech on September 26th.
However, the Bulldogs are set to join the Sun Belt Conference, which could happen either prior to the start of 2026 or 2027. If they do join in 2026, that game against Louisiana Tech would be taken off of the Cajuns' schedule, re-opening UL's search for another non-conference game.
This article written by Abdul Abusada of Cajuns Insider and Cajun Sports Talk. Don't forget to tune into Cajuns Insider podcast shows on all The Kneaux socials every week during the football season! Also don't forget to tune into The Cajun Sports Talk Podcast Show on @CajunSportsTalk on YouTube every Tuesday evening!
A quick share helps us a lot!
Team Stats (Pelicans at Nuggets) Final Score: 135-141/OT Rebounds: 50-51 Assists: 33-26 Blocks: 5-6 Steals: 9-9 Turnovers: 18-11 Stat Leaders Scoring Leaders: Trey Murphy III, 26; Jamal Murray, 42 Rebound Leaders: Derik Queen, 8; Nikola Jokic, 15 Assist Leaders: Jordan Poole, 7; Nikola Jokic, 10 My Player of the Game: Trey Murphy III Chrissy's Key Takeaways * Herb Jones played 16 minutes and Jamal Murray scored 42 points. Why wasn't the Pels' best defensive player on the court guarding their best player? * Trey Murphy III returned to his normal form in this game and it was great to see . * The Pels come home for another back-to-back set of games. Follow @TheKneaux on X, and follow me there too, @SportsChrissy.
Team Stats (Pelicans @ Jazz) Final Score: 119-120 Rebounds: 37-42 Assists: 18-31 Blocks: 5-5 Steals: 15-4 Turnovers: 15-18 Stat Leaders (Pelicans/Jazz) Scoring Leaders: Zion Williamson, 23; Jaren Jackson, Jr., 24 Rebound Leaders: Derik Queen, 7; Jaren Jackson, Jr., 10 Assist Leaders: Dejounte Murray, 6; Keyonte George, 10 My Player of the Game: Zion Williamson Takeaways The Pelicans had 15 steals in this game but also had 15 turnovers. This was another game it seemed like the Pelicans should win since they were leading in the fourth quarter. Follow The Kneaux on X , and follow me there too @SportsChrissy.