USC May Play Football Game in Soviet Union

There’s a strong likelihood that USC will play a football game in Moscow next year--not Moscow, Ida., but the Moscow.

Negotiations have been under way the past few weeks for what is being called the “ Glasnost Bowl” Sept. 2 in Moscow’s Lenin Stadium. USC and Illinois are apparently the teams that will bring American football to the Soviet Union.

USC Athletic Director Mike McGee wouldn’t confirm Tuesday night that the game has been set, but said, “The prospects are much better than they were a few weeks ago.”

Television sources say the matchup of the Pacific 10 and Big Ten teams is a reality with only a few details to be worked out. The game apparently has the blessing of the State Department.

Raycom, a North Carolina-based sports syndicator, earlier had announced plans for the game that will be carried by ABC television.

USC has a Sept. 2 game scheduled against Kansas in Lawrence. It’s believed, however, that Kansas has agreed to let USC out of the commitment.