The 1981 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California (USC) in the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season.
In their sixth year under head coach John Robinson, the Trojans compiled a 9–3 record (5–2 against conference opponents), finished in a tie for second place in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10), and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 284 to 170.
Marcus Allen led the team in rushing with 433 carries for 2,427 yards and 22 touchdowns.
[2] Allen became the first player in NCAA history to rush for over 2,000 yards in one season.
He also gained a total of 2,683 offensive yards, led the nation in scoring, and won the Heisman Trophy, the Maxwell Award, and Walter Camp Award and was also the Pac-10 player of the year.