Matt Barkley decided to return to the USC Trojans for his senior season, citing unfinished business for the team. The 2012 Pac-12 football schedule was released on Wednesday, and the now bowl-eligible Trojans open their 2012 campaign with a home game against Hawaii on Saturday, September 1.
The big game on the schedule for USC is a home matchup with the three-time defending conference champion Oregon Ducks in Los Angeles on November 3. USC beat Oregon in Eugene in 2011 in a thrilling 38-35 contest. The Trojans battle the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl on Saturday, November 17, and host the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday, November 24 during Thanksgiving weekend.
The Trojans open Pac-12 play on September 15 in Palo Alto against the Stanford Cardinal. They travel to fave the Utah Utes on Thursday, October 4, presumably on ESPN. USC has four Pac-12 home games and five road contests in 2012 after the opposite in 2011. Here is a look at the full 2012 USC football schedule:
| Date | Opponent |
| Sep 1 | Hawaii |
| Sep 8 | at Syracuse*** |
| Sep 15 | at Stanford** |
| Sep 22 |
California** |
| Oct 4 | at Utah* |
| Oct 13 | at Washington** |
| Oct 20 | Colorado* |
| Oct 27 | at Arizona* |
| Nov 3 | Oregon** |
| Nov 10 | Arizona St* |
| Nov 17 | at UCLA* |
| Nov 24 | Notre Dame |
*Pac-12 South divisional opponent
**Pac-12 North divisional opponent
***at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey
The Pac-12 Championship Game will be played on November 30, at the home site of the divisional winner with the best conference record.
For more USC football news and analysis, be sure to read Conquest Chronicles.