The USC Trojans versus the Wisconsin Badgers is going to be a ton of fun, especially with Lincoln Riley going up against Luke Fickell in one of the best coaching matchups of the new Big Ten era. Let’s not forget that Fickell was a rumored option to come to USC before the Trojans hired Riley in November of 2021.
The Trojans and Badgers have played seven times, with USC leading the series 6-1, including a couple of Rose Bowl victories.
This is a two-play matchup, meaning the two schools play each other in both 2024 and 2025. The previous meeting came in the 2015 Holiday Bowl with Wisconsin winning, 23-21.
Paul Myerberg of USA TODAY Sports offered more details on this series:
“USC pulled out one-possession Rose Bowl wins against Wisconsin in 1953 (7-0) and 1963 (42-37). The Trojans were 6-0 in the all-time series before the Badgers won the 2015 Holiday Bowl with a 29-yard field goal with under three minutes left.”
Whereas USC has defeated Wisconsin in multiple Rose Bowls, the Badgers beat the UCLA Bruins in two different Rose Bowls, first in 1994 and then again in 1999. It’s another sign of how good the Granddaddy has generally been to USC.
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