DAVIS, Calif. -- UC Davis football will open its 2021 season at Pacific-12 Conference member USC, the two institutions announced on Friday. The contest, slated for September 4 of that year, marks the inaugural meeting between the two highly respected universities.
This also marks a historic moment in that it is the first time the Trojans have scheduled an opponent from the Division I Football Championship Subdivision. USC, along with archrivals UCLA and Notre Dame, were among just three schools who had yet to compete against an FCS team in the four decades since Division I split into the two subdivisions.
"That USC agreed to play UC Davis as its first-ever FCS opponent signifies the respect they have for our team and university. It is deserved recognition of the upward trajectory of our football program under the guidance of Coach Hawkins," said Kevin Blue, the university's director of athletics.
In the second year under the helm of head coach Dan Hawkins, UC Davis posted a 10-3 overall record and won its first-ever Big Sky Conference championship in 2018. The team then went on to make its first appearance in the NCAA FCS postseason tournament. Hawkins captured the Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year award, then snared the Eddie Robinson Award as the top FCS mentor in the nation.
USC entered the 2018 season with a No. 15 ranking by both Associated Press and in the national coaches' poll. The Trojans went 5-7 in Clay Helton's third year at the helm, finished third in the Pac-12 at 4-5, and posted a 31-20 upset of Colorado midway through the season.
UC Davis has played members of the Pac-12 Conference (formerly Pac-10) six times during the 16 years since beginning its Division I reclassification: Stanford (2005, 2014, 2018), Cal (2010), Arizona State (2011) and Oregon (2016). The Aggies open the upcoming year with Cal on Saturday, Aug. 31.
ABOUT UC DAVIS: Providing a small-town community feel while providing a world-class academic experience, UC Davis is home to more than 37,000 students and centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley. The No. 5-ranked public university in the nation according to the Wall Street Journal, and among the top 10 public universities nationwide according to U.S. News and World Report, UC Davis offers nearly 100 graduate programs and more than 100 academic majors across four colleges and six professional schools, ranking among the world and nation's best in numerous disciplines, including veterinary science, agriculture, and plant and animal programs.
AGGIE EVO: Established in 2017-18, the Aggie EVO System is UC Davis Athletics' investment in the primary mission of preparing student-athletes for a successful "launch" after graduation. Thanks to a collaboration of alumni, university resources, corporate partners, coaches and Student-Athlete Outcomes staff, all Aggies are guided over four years to acquire the skills, knowledge, opportunities and tools to better know and navigate the "World of Work" after graduating from UC Davis. Follow the Aggie EVO system on Twitter and Instagram at @AggieEVO.
MARYA WELCH INITIATIVE: Named after the former physical education instructor, coach and Dean of Women who founded women's sports on the campus 25 years before the passage of Title IX, the Marya Welch Initiative for Women's Athletics provides comprehensive support for UC Davis' 16 women's athletics programs. Through the support of the Marya Welch Initiative and its group members, student-athletes are provided the best possible opportunity to succeed inside the classroom, and in competition, through special project gifts and by increasing visibility and participation at women's events throughout the year. All gifts to the Marya Welch Initiative are matched 1:1, doubling the impact on our women's programs. Visit this site for more information.
