USC, former Pac-12 schools will again play in Pac-12 bowls in 2026

TL;DR

USC and former Pac-12 schools will continue to play in Pac-12 bowl games in 2026, despite their membership in the Big Ten Conference. This decision maintains the existing bowl game ties established before the Pac-12's collapse.

Key points

USC is a member of the Big Ten Conference.
Former Pac-12 schools will play in Pac-12 bowl games in 2026.
Bowl game ties remain unchanged for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

USC TrojansBig Ten ConferencePac-12

For the past two years, USC has been a member of the Big Ten Conference. However, when Bowl Season rolled around at the end of the football season, the Trojans—as well as their former conference foes—still played in bowl games tied to the Pac-12.

The reason for this was because although the Pac-12 as we knew it effectively collapsed following the 2023-2024 college athletics season, many of the conference’s bowl game ties ran beyond that. In order to maintain some level of stability, it was decided that the former Pac-12 schools would still compete in the bowl games with Pac-12 contracts for the 2024 and 2025 football seasons.

For USC, this meant trips to the Las Vegas Bowl to play Texas A&M in 2024 and Alamo Bowl to face TCU this past season. It also led to a rather weird situation in 2024 when Colorado, who had moved to the Big 12 earlier that year, played against a team from its own conference in the Alamo Bowl.

But with that two-year window now having passed, what will happen in 2026? As it turns out, the same thing as before, as on Friday, Bowl Season announced that the conference ties for bowl games next season will remain the same as they were in 2025. Hence, if USC plays in a bowl game in 2026, it will once again be one with Pac-12 ties.

“We believe maintaining stability across the bowl system for 2026 is the most appropriate path forward given the CFP’s decision to extend the current format through this upcoming season,” said Bowl Season Executive Director Nick Carparelli in a press release. “This approach provides clarity for our stakeholders while preserving flexibility as we collectively evaluate the future of the postseason.”

The good news for USC fans—at least those on the West Coast—is that the vast majority of the Pac-12 bowl games are located in the Western portion of the United States, with the furthest east game being the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio. Hence, after a regular season of making trips across the country and back in the Big Ten, the Trojans will not have to do that once again for their bowl game.

Q&A

Why will USC play in Pac-12 bowl games in 2026?

USC will play in Pac-12 bowl games in 2026 to maintain the existing bowl game ties that were established before the conference's collapse.

What bowl games are USC expected to participate in during 2026?

While specific matchups are not confirmed, USC will participate in bowl games tied to the Pac-12, similar to previous seasons.

How did the collapse of the Pac-12 affect bowl game participation?

The collapse of the Pac-12 allowed former members like USC to continue participating in bowl games with existing Pac-12 contracts for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, which will extend into 2026.