Penn State and USC Haven't Played Often, but the 'Rivalry' Has Been A Tug-of-War

Penn State and USC have not matched up all that often, but in the times that they have, the result has been a tug-of-war of football games.

The two programs have only matched up 11 times in each of their storied histories. USC currently holds a 6-5 record against the Nittany Lions, but the series has been two big streaks bookended by the opposite result.

The very first game was actually all the way back in 1923 when the Trojans took down the Nittany Lions by a score of 14-3.

The two teams wouldn't match up for 59 consecutive years until 1982 in the Fiesta Bowl, when the Lions got on the board.

There was yet another break in their action; this time it was an eight-year hiatus that they took before a stretch of five matchups over the course of seven seasons.

USC's first trip out east to Happy Valley didn't come until 1993, when they were welcomed by the Nittany Lions to a 21-20 defeat. They came back east in 1994 and suffered a similar fate, losing 38-14. 

USC would rip off three straight wins in 2000, 2009, and 2017, which set the stage for one of the greatest Rose Bowls of all time. It was Saquon Barkley and the Nittany Lions against Sam Darnold's USC Trojans, and boy, it was a banger.

The final score tilted in favor of the Trojans, 52-49, but the box score was incredible. Darnold finished the day 33-for-53 for 453 yards and 5 touchdowns, while Trace McSorley went for 254 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions, which proved to be the difference.

Saquon went crazy in that game, carrying the ball 25 times for 194 yards and two scores on the day with a long run of his 79 yard touchdown run. It was a fun back-and-forth game that goes down as one of the best.

There was one more matchup between the two teams that took place in 2024. Penn State went out to Los Angeles and got a three-point win over the Trojans.

While there has not been much action in this series from a historical perspective, the times that they have played have produced some really great games. This upcoming Saturday has the makings of being another one of those types of games. It is unlikely, but the chance is still there.

Can the Nittany Lions even it up? Will they fall in heartless fashion? We will learn on Saturday afternoon.