Syracuse University Director of Athletics Dr. Daryl Gross has reached a verbal agreement for the Orange football team to play the University of Southern California in a home-and-home series in 2011 and 2012. Gross is continuing to discuss a men's basketball series as well.

The Orange will play in Los Angeles in 2011 and the Trojans will visit the Carrier Dome in 2012.

“To become the best you must play the best,” Gross said. “We welcome and look forward to our series with USC. It will be a formidable challenge with the highest level of intersectional competition. Their football program is having the greatest run in college football history and we want to be on that level in the future. Both programs have incredible traditions and history as we look to reignite ours. This will be an amazing series.”