USC’s bizarre scheduling history with San Jose State continues

On Wednesday, USC announced that the Trojans will open their 2026 football season against San Jose State. The Spartans are set to visit the Coliseum on August 29.

Following the news, Antonio Morales of The Athleticwrote on social media, “In times of great schedule distress, San Jose State is always there for USC.” Morales’s tweet recalls an interesting dynamic: On three separate occasions within the past six years, bizarre circumstances have led to the Trojans and Spartans playing.

In 2021, USC scheduled FCS program UC Davis, only to cancel the game following significant fan backlash. The Trojans replaced them on the schedule with San Jose State.

In 2023, USC was slated to play BYU in a nonconference game. With the Cougars joining the Big 12, the Trojans suddenly needed a new opponent. Once again, they replaced them with San Jose State.

Then, this year, the storied USC-Notre Dame rivalry sadly came to an end. The Trojans replaced the Fighting Irish with, you guessed it, San Jose State.

At this point, the dynamic between the two schools is somewhat comical. When the Trojans are desperate for a game, they call up San Jose State, who is happy to collect USC’s check in exchange for a trip to Los Angeles.

At this point, San Jose State fans must be getting quite familiar with LA hotels. If the current pattern holds, the Trojans will be forced to cancel another game in 2030 and will once again call up their friends in San Jose.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC football has bizarre scheduling history with San Jose State