USC and Nebraska are two storied college football programs. More than that, they both had dynastic periods in the 1970s. They also won three consecutive national championships between them, four in five years: Nebraska in 1970 and 1971, USC in 1972 and 1974.
Given that USC and Nebraska played in 1969 and 1970, in the middle of their periods of prominence, you might think their games were meetings on the mountaintop, “Game of the Century” affairs celebrated for generations.
It didn’t work out that way.
When USC and Nebraska first met in 1969, Nebraska was unranked. The Huskers lost only one game after the Trojans beat them in the 1969 season opener, but they finished No. 11 that year, which was — measured against the NU standard at the time — a modest result for coach Bob Devaney’s program.
In 1970, the teams met again. USC managed to tie the Huskers, but the Trojans actually labored through the rest of their year, losing four games. Nebraska didn’t lose to anyone else it played, winning the national championship.
The two schools didn’t meet at any point in the remainder of the 20th century. This series could have been so much more, but alas, it wasn’t meant to be. This series would have been special if a four-team College Football Playoff existed in the early 1970s.
USC leads the all-time series with Nebraska, 4-0-1. The last meeting came in the 2014 Holiday Bowl with USC winning 45-42. These two programs begin Big Ten play against one another in 2025.
Paul Myerberg of USA TODAY Sports documented some of the notable moments in this series.
“The two teams tied 20-20 when they met in 1970, though that didn’t prevent Nebraska from claiming the first of back-to-back national championships. But USC is the only opponent Nebraska has faced more than once and failed to defeat at least once, led by a pair of extremely disheartening losses under then-coach Bill Callahan in 2006 (28-10) and 2007 (49-31).”
Here are some highlights from the 1969 game, the first meeting between the two schools:
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