5 Thing to Watch: USC

LOS ANGELES — Questions have been swirling around the Oregon football team in recent weeks. The Ducks have a chance to answer them emphatically this weekend.

The UO football team opens Big Ten Conference play Saturday, when the No. 20 Ducks play at No. 12 USC. The game will be broadcast by NBC, with kickoff scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

Oregon went 2-1 in the nonconference season, opening with a comeback win over Boise State, falling at Oklahoma State and then taking care of business against Portland State. The win over the Vikings was No. 50 at Oregon for fifth-year head coach Dan Lanning.

USC is out to a 4-0 start, with wins over San Jose State, Fresno State and Louisiana in nonconference play and a victory over Rutgers last week to open the Big Ten slate. Trojans coach Lincoln Riley also is in his fifth season with the program, sporting a 39-18 mark.

The Trojans lead the all-time series between the two, 38-24-2, including 24-9-1 in Los Angeles. Oregon has won eight of the last 10, including the two most recent meetings in Los Angeles, in 2019 and 2020.

Saturday's NBC broadcast will feature Noah Eagle with play by play, Todd Blackledge providing analysis and sideline reporting by Kathryn Tappen.

Some storylines to watch when the game kicks off …

1. Two long-time conference rivals are meeting Saturday. The name of the conference in which they compete has changed in recent years, but the intensity of the battles between Oregon and USC are no different.

They're rivals on the field, they're rivals for elite recruits, and Saturday they're rivals for the chance to make an early statement in the 2026 Big Ten race.

"It's as intense as it gets when you talk about two teams that are competitive, that want to be really good, that have great talent," Lanning said. "It means a ton to the fan base. I think it's only grown in my time since I've been here. The biggest thing is, can you focus on the game and not the occasion? Try to be in the moment and focus on your preparation, your execution. But this is certainly a big game."

2. In the wake of Oregon's loss at Oklahoma State, players spoke of warning signs from practice the previous week. Likewise, following last week's bounce-back effort, the talk was about improved effort and attention to detail in practice.

The Ducks have spoken again this week of their renewed focus in practice. Saturday will be the ultimate arbiter.

"Every guy in this program's goal is to get better," Lanning said. "And when they see, OK, we improved in operation, we improved in execution on the field because of the way we practiced what we did, it makes them want that even more."

3. USC head coach Lincoln Riley made his name as a respected mind on the offensive side of the ball. This year he added a complement on defense, new coordinator Gary Patterson.

A former head coach at TCU, Patterson is a 2026 College Football Hall of Fame inductee who returned to the sidelines this season in Los Angeles.

"Obviously, Gary's had a long, storied history as a defensive coach," Lanning said. "He does a phenomenal job."

4. The start of conference play for Oregon means the start of pregame availability reports filed to the Big Ten each Wednesday.

The Ducks this week announced that defensive back Carl Williams and tight end Jamari Johnson both could possibly return from injuries Saturday. Williams went out after a big hit at Oklahoma State, and Johnson hasn't played since the opener.

But receiver Jeremiah McClellan is out this week, after what Lanning said was a broken foot suffered in pregame warm-ups last week. In his absence, Messiah Hampton stepped up and caught two touchdown passes.

"He was gonna have a role in that game, regardless, but his role grew quickly because right before pregame you're anticipating J-Mac being able to go out there," Lanning said.

5. Though this is his fifth season at Oregon, Lanning will be leading the Ducks into L.A. Memorial Coliseum as head coach for the first time.

Typically at road games, Lanning walks out to the field shortly after the Ducks arrive on site, still dressed in a suit for a pregame walk around the field. His pregame walk Saturday will be accompanied by the taking of mental notes.

"Find the play clocks; make sure you familiarize yourself with the field itself," Lanning said. "What's it look like? Where are you going to be looking at during the game to know timing situations, play-clock situations? I'm just getting a feel for it."