Early in the season, Southern California football is wearing two very different faces.
USC’s 2026 outlook already feels shaky after the Trojans’ performance against No. 15 Oregon, while UCLA is riding a surge that has given Westwood a very different kind of buzz. What used to be a city dominated by USC now looks, at least for the moment, far less one-sided.
For Lincoln Riley, the pressure is nothing new, but it has only intensified after the loss to the Ducks. USC brought him in from Oklahoma because of his playoff pedigree and his reputation for developing quarterbacks.
His first season in Los Angeles ended at 11-3, just short of the playoff, with Caleb Williams winning the Heisman Trophy. Since then, the production has flattened out.
The Trojans have not won more than nine games in any of the last three seasons, and that pattern could repeat again.
A 4-1 record would normally look fine on the surface. At USC, it has not been enough to quiet the frustration.
The Trojans are 5-14 against AP-ranked teams under Riley and 0-3 against Oregon. They also still have a roster that can recruit at a high level, with the top-ranked 2026 class in the country and more local talent trending their way in 2027 and 2028.
Even with Gary Patterson hired to help fix the defense, the results against Oregon did not change.
The schedule only adds to the tension. USC still has three ranked opponents ahead in No.
5 Ohio State, No. 6 Indiana, and No.
23 UCLA. The Trojans also face back-to-back road games at Penn State in the annual White Out and at Wisconsin, and road games have been a problem.
If USC keeps slipping, reaching nine wins may be the ceiling. And if athletic director Jen Cohen decides to move on from Riley after the season, CBS Sports has reported that the school would owe nearly $70 million.
UCLA, meanwhile, is living on the other side of the story.
Under first-year coach Bob Chesney, the Bruins are 4-0 and coming off a 54-3 win over Maryland. That is a dramatic shift from last season, when UCLA won only three games. Chesney has changed the feel of the program quickly, and the Bruins are doing it with a ground game that has become one of the best in the country.
Led by running back Wayne Knight, UCLA has piled up more than 1,100 rushing yards. The Bruins rank fifth in the FBS in rushing and are averaging about 281.5 rushing yards per game. That production has pushed them up to No. 23 in the AP Top 25.
College Sports on SiriusXM’s Roy Philpott put the contrast bluntly on his show: “Here’s the real problem that nobody is talking about with USC. The real issue is you’re getting ready to get passed; you’re getting ready to fall behind your rival UCLA because Bob Chesney’s got the aura; Lincoln Riley does not,” College Sports on SiriusXM’s Roy Philpott said on his show. “There’s something happening in Westwood that feels vastly different and superior.”
“UCLA is getting ready to pass SC, to me that is what this weekend meant.”@RoyPhilpott & @dannykanell discuss a disappointing loss for the Trojans while UCLA moved to 4-0 on the young season. pic.twitter.com/cRPduuTSSP
The Bruins’ path also looks manageable for now, with only two ranked teams left on the schedule. Still, Oct. 10 at Oregon will be the real measuring stick for Chesney’s team.
And when USC and UCLA meet again in the Battle for the Victory Bell on Nov. 28, it will carry far more than city bragging rights.
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UCLA has turned its early surge into a legitimate storyline under Bob Chesney, whose arrival brought several familiar faces from his James Madison program and helped the Bruins find a quick rhythm. Senior running back Wayne Knight has been a key part of that offensive success, giving UCLA a steady anchor as it rides a 4-0 streak and quietly builds the kind of profile that can make a late-season matchup more complicated than it first looks. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon Just Unveiled A Nike Look Fans Will Be Debating All Week
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UCLAs Most Important Newcomer May Decide How High This Team Climbs
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Petty may be the most obvious source of instant offense, while Philons ability to fit multiple roles gives the staff some lineup flexibility. Kusturica, meanwhile, is the kind of addition teams often lean on when they need steadiness and balance, especially once the games get tighter and roles become more defined. The interesting part for UCLA is that the most important newcomer may not be the flashiest one, and the answer to that question could say plenty about how far this team goes. [Read more 🡒]