University Southern California Trojans
The State of Troy | November 14: Homecoming Hysteria, Non-Conference Football Scheduling & Building Alignment
November 14, 2025 | Football, USC Athletics, Men's Basketball, Men's Water Polo, Women's Basketball, Women's Volleyball
Trojan Family,
It is homecoming week in Troy, and as we enter the final days of the fall semester and begin looking ahead to 2026, I find myself reflecting on both USC's storied past and our bright future.
While some days the larger world of college athletics feels more chaotic than ever, as I walk our campus, engage with our student-athletes, donors, and fans, and work with our University leadership, I sense the timeless connections, shared values, and passionate pride that make USC truly special.
The power and purpose of this place transcend transitions, changes, and individuals. Built on decades of commitment and consistent success, in the classroom and in competition, the strength and stability of the Trojan Family remains our most valuable asset.
These inspiring reminders have been abundant recently, from celebrating USC's 145th birthday last month to, just five days later, our home football game against Michigan: a sold-out Coliseum, tens of thousands of fans waving gold "Win the Era" towels, and a winning performance by our team. These moments showcase the power of the Trojan Family, fighting on to victory. That night in the Coliseum, we were all aligned behind a shared purpose, and together, we created an unforgettable memory.
In this edition of The State of Troy, I want to focus on how building that kind of alignment helps us win the new era of college sports.
In this ever-changing landscape, I truly believe alignment around our department's ultimate purpose – to serve as the unmatched, unquestioned PLACE TO BE for student-athletes to reach their full potential in all they do – is the ultimate competitive advantage.
Building Alignment
First and foremost, if we're going to talk about alignment, we must define what alignment is – and what it is not. To borrow a line my colleague at the University of Iowa, Beth Goetz, recently shared, alignment is not the same as agreement.
In fact, agreement across a family as vast and diverse as the Trojan Family is neither possible nor preferable. Blind consensus leads to blind spots; uniform thinking leads to complacency, stagnation, and false harmony.
Disagreement is natural and expected, and when stakeholders are aligned, it can create transformational change. From thoughtful, well-managed, and respectful debates emerge innovative ideas, stronger bonds, and lasting solutions.
This is why alignment is very different from agreement. Even when we disagree on how we do things, we must remain aligned on why we do them.
Agreement is thinking the same way, but alignment is moving in the same direction. Agreement is uniformity of thought; alignment is unity of purpose.
The rapid transformations across the landscape of higher education introduce new challenges and increase pressures facing institutions. Those built on agreement will collapse; those built on alignment will rise stronger than ever.
Just yesterday, President Kim joined our senior leadership team for our monthly meeting, encouraging and challenging us to be the most aligned university in the nation, and my role as the leader of this department is to work tirelessly to help build that alignment, to reinforce the Trojan togetherness – it's us with us – with every stakeholder. In the days and weeks ahead, there are some key areas where, even if agreement is difficult to come by, alignment will be what ensures we Win the Era, Together.
Homecoming Hysteria
This homecoming weekend, the power and reach of the Trojan Family will be on full display all over Los Angeles and for spectators across the country.
- On Friday, Men's Basketball takes on Illinois State at the Intuit Dome, and Women's Volleyball takes on Rutgers in the Galen Center for Kids Day, as all children 18 and under receive free admission.
- No. 1 Men's Water Polo hosts No. 2 UCLA at 11 a.m. on Saturday morning, and No. 8 Women's Basketball battles No. 2 South Carolina at 6 p.m. Saturday evening at Crypto.com Arena in front of a nationally-televised audience on Fox.
- For Saturday's homecoming football game against Iowa, we will honor our veterans with our Salute to Service game, and our team will wear Nike's Military Appreciation line – which you can purchase here or in the USC Bookstore – before the game and on the sidelines. Additionally, our tunnel captains for the game will be representatives from the Los Angeles Fire Department.
- Women's Volleyball brings it home Sunday with a sold-out showdown vs. Nebraska at noon in Galen in front of the largest crowd in USC Women's Volleyball history on campus.
Our fans are our most impactful partners. You have created lasting memories and competitive advantages for us already this year, and engaging you remains vital to our success. Our coaches, student-athletes, and staff are excited to take over the best sports city in America for a weekend, and we want to encourage the entire Trojan Family to come out and support as many of our programs as possible and show the world what Trojan Spirit is all about!
Big Ten Enterprises Update
In recent weeks, there has been much reporting around USC's position regarding an investment deal proposed by the Big Ten. This deal proposes to: 1) create a new commercial entity, Big Ten Enterprises, supporting the conference; 2) extend members' grant of rights an additional 10 years to 2046; and 3) provide 10% equity in Big Ten Enterprises to an investor for $2.4 billion, which will be unevenly distributed to members and create a tiered revenue distribution system moving forward.
As we continue to evaluate the merits of this proposal or any others, our University leadership remains aligned in our stance that our fiduciary obligation to the University of Southern California demands we thoroughly evaluate any deals that could impact our long-term value and flexibility, no matter the short-term benefit. We greatly value our membership in the Big Ten Conference and understand and respect the larger landscape, but we also recognize the power of the USC brand is far-reaching, deeply engaging, and incredibly valuable, and we will always fight first for what's best for USC.
I want to thank President Kim and our board for their leadership on this matter. With their professional backgrounds, experience, and expertise, our USC leaders are uniquely qualified to assess deals of this structure.
I believe our work on this issue has exemplified exceptional alignment, and I am confident we are all committed to the most positive outcomes for USC Athletics. As with any of the challenges and opportunities this new era presents, USC is well positioned to lead toward sensible and effective solutions.
Non-Conference Football Scheduling
Another popular topic for media coverage and national conversation of late has been our non-conference football scheduling.
Our ultimate goal, one that we can all align with, is to compete for and win Big Ten and College Football Playoff championships. Playing nine games annually in the toughest conference in college football to qualify for a playoff for which future selection criteria remain uncertain, we have a limited number of strategic levers to pull in pursuit of that goal.
Non-conference scheduling is among the most important of these levers. Not only is it among the few factors entirely within our control, but who we schedule – and when and where we schedule them – also has a meaningful impact on our program's record, our student-athletes' health and wellness, and our preparedness.
First, the when and where: for the well-being of our student-athletes, and to schedule equitably with our Big Ten rivals, we want to play our non-conference opponents in the Coliseum as early as possible every year.
USC is the only team in the Big Ten to play a non-conference road game after Week 4 in either of the past two seasons. USC is also the only team to play a non-conference game after Week 4 in both seasons. Moreover, the only other Big Ten teams to play non-conference games after Week 4 in either the 2024 or 2025 seasons played at home against Group of 5 foes (UCLA vs. Fresno State, 11/30/24; Northwestern vs. UL-Monroe, 10/4/25).
Meanwhile, last year's College Football Playoff champions finished fourth in the Big Ten and played all their non-conference games at home in Weeks 1-3. An additional road trip in the middle of conference play – without key players – may have stressed their roster beyond its limits or cost them a third defeat and eliminated them from playoff contention. Instead, they qualified despite two Big Ten losses.
Intentionally making our road to the CFP significantly more difficult than our Big Ten peers does not align with our goal to win championships. That said, we want to play meaningful games, and we recognize USC's unique position in college football history. USC is the only FBS program that has never played an FCS opponent. We embrace challenging matchups – they prepare us for conference play, excite our fan base, and grow our brand and revenues.
That is why, of our three non-conference games each year, we will schedule at least one Power 4 opponent. If that opponent is a rival with whom we share a long and storied tradition, all the better.
Strategic scheduling is a key competitive advantage, and it is one we must align on. If we don't, we will allow our rivals to leverage us against ourselves, and that can never happen. Trojans are fighters, and we must fight on, together.
Our non-conference scheduling decisions will be based on feedback from stakeholders across the Trojan Family; deliberation with Coach Riley, my trusted staff, and University leadership; and the experience and perspective I've gathered from three decades of experience in college athletics. Most importantly, our decision will be based on what is best for the success of our football program.
We are excited about a 2026 home schedule that features conference matchups against Ohio State, Oregon, Washington, and Maryland – as well as trips to Indiana, Penn State, Wisconsin, and Rutgers – and we look forward to sharing news on our non-conference football schedule in the near future.
Alignment Victories
Prioritizing Partnerships and Building Alignment works, and already this year, this key pillar of our Trojan MAP has helped secure important wins for our student-athletes and our institution. I specifically want to highlight some partnerships that showcase USC as THE PLACE TO BE.
- USC Athletics Hall of Fame: In the October edition of The State of Troy, we shared news that the USC Athletics Hall of Fame would return in 2026. This week, we announced more details on balloting, voting, and our induction ceremony next fall. A key part of our efforts to Win the Era, Together is honoring our rich history and unique traditions, and I want to thank our teams in Sports Brands & Communications, Marketing, and Development for their work in bringing back this storied tradition.
- The Trojan Army: As our football team continues its push for the College Football Playoff, our fans have rallied around our team both inside the Coliseum and online across social media. For the last four months, USC Football has led the nation in engagement rate across all social media platforms, and two weeks into November, we're on track to make it five straight months. That's a credit not only to our talented creative team but also our passionate and engaged fans, whose engagement powers our brand, unites our community, and inspires our teams. #FightOn
- Campus Partnerships: Prior to our victory over Northwestern last weekend, USC Athletics hosted more than 30 campus partners for a tailgate to connect and celebrate our work together on behalf of our student-athletes. Attendees included representatives from Viterbi, Dornsife, Marshall, Bovard, Annenberg, Gould, Keck, Student Health, Student Life, USC Housing, the Office of Academic Records and the Registrar, the Office of Academic Integrity, Financial Aid, Undergraduate Admissions, the Career Center, USC Bookstore, the Office of Student Accessibility Services, USC American Language Institute, and USC School of Dramatic Arts. The breadth and scope of those in attendance is a reminder that it takes the entire Trojan Family to help our students reach their full potential.
There are so many partners who power our department, but you, our fans, are the most impactful. We are working harder than ever to engage you, inform you, and connect you, and we see all the ways you are supporting us – through your feedback, your faithfulness, and your financial support. Thank you for all you do to make USC THE PLACE TO BE.
Aligned, we will Win the Era, Together.
Fight On,
Jen Cohen
Charles Griffin Cale Director of Athletics
