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The USC Trojans and Nebraska Cornhuskers aren’t exactly historic rivals. The two schools have played in football just five times, with the last matchup coming 10 years ago in the Holiday Bowl. USC won that game 45-42, but both coaching staffs have turned over multiple times since.

But with SC and Nebraska now both members of the Big Ten Conference, they’re set to play a lot more frequently in future seasons. And if the pregame warmups ahead of Saturday’s meeting at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum are any indication, it might turn into a rivalry pretty quickly.

When the Cornhuskers’ players came on to the field two hours before kickoff, they immediately gathered directly on the SC logo at the 50-yard-line. Unsurprisingly, SC players and analysts did not like that, setting up some disagreements between the two sides.

It seemed like things had settled down, but it quickly ramped back up again with USC graduate analyst Bryson Allen-Williams having to be walked to the sideline.

USC Nebraska

(Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images)

USC-Nebraska A Matchup Of Disappointing Teams

Neither USC or Nebraska is having the kind of season both sets of fanbases expected or hoped for. High-profile coaches in Lincoln Riley and Matt Rhule. Quarterbacks viewed in the preseason as having significant potential in Miller Moss and Dylan Raiola, and improved defenses.

But tough schedules, blown games in the fourth quarter, and a rash of injuries have led to disappointing results for both sides. Still though, it’s clear from the pregame disagreements that the intensity and effort is still there. 

SC enters Saturday’s game as 7.5 point favorites to rescue some hope at bowl eligibility, but given the Trojans’ performance this year in close games, that doesn’t mean much. Nebraska at 5-4 needs just one more win to reach a bowl game, but with a 1-2 record on the road, beating SC at the Coliseum might be an uphill climb. 

What was a highly anticipated match up a few months ago has lost much of its appeal, but don’t tell the two teams that.