Week 5 is already shaping up as a pressure point for a handful of quarterbacks whose seasons haven’t matched the preseason buzz. Some have flashed, some have faded, and some are just plain running out of time to make a statement.
LaNorris Sellers is at the top of that list in South Carolina. The Gamecocks are 2-2 overall and 0-2 in SEC play as they head into a Week 5 matchup with No.
24 Kentucky, and Sellers hasn’t been nearly sharp enough to steady things. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound quarterback has thrown for 833 yards with six touchdowns and four interceptions, while posting a 59.1 QBR.
Even with new offensive coordinator Kendal Briles now in place, the inconsistency has stuck around. Sellers needs a real performance this weekend, no matter how the game ends.
Jayden Maiava has put up the kind of raw numbers that usually look good on paper - 1,499 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and just two picks - but the deeper dive tells a different story. USC’s schedule has been soft enough to pad stats, with San Jose State, Fresno State and Louisiana among the early opponents.
Once the Trojans got into conference play, though, things tightened up fast. Rutgers pushed USC to the edge in a 42-35 win, and Maiava finished that one with a 69.1 QBR and a 62.1% completion rate.
Last weekend against Oregon, he was even less efficient, completing only 54.8% of his throws while accounting for two touchdowns and an interception in a home loss. He’s still one of the country’s better pure passers, but USC needs him to rebound when Washington comes to town on Saturday.
Texas A&M has had the kind of opening stretch that puts everybody under a microscope, and Marcel Reed is right in the middle of it. The Aggies are 2-2, and both losses have come in lopsided fashion against SEC opponents LSU and Kentucky.
Reed’s numbers reflect the rough start: a 55.4% completion rate, six touchdowns, four interceptions and a 50.4 QBR. His 5.7 yards per attempt is also a career-low.
Texas A&M responded by promoting former wide receivers coach Holmon Wiggins to offensive coordinator, but the offense still hasn’t found explosive plays or any real rhythm. Reed and the Aggies are more than a touchdown favorite - over two touchdowns, in fact - as they host Arkansas this weekend.
Then there’s Ashton Daniels at Florida State, a transfer quarterback in his final year of eligibility who still hasn’t found his footing. Daniels has thrown for 928 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions while completing just 59.8% of his passes.
Florida State is 2-2, and both defeats have come against ranked opponents in Alabama and SMU. In those two games, Daniels completed a combined average of 55.4% of his passes and threw three touchdowns against three interceptions.
The Seminoles will turn to him again this weekend against UVA, and the question now is simple: can he raise his level in time to salvage his final college season?
In Other News...
Oregon Just Added To The Pressure Crushing Lincoln Riley And USC
The loss to Oregon only sharpened the scrutiny around USCs place in the Big Ten conversation, and Matt Leinart did not soften his assessment of where the program stands. The former Trojans quarterback said the team looks stuck in mud despite having talent, a blunt read that lands at a time when USC is still trying to convince people it belongs among the sports serious contenders.
Leinarts bigger point was about relevance, not just one setback. He said USC has to beat ranked opponents to change the narrative, and he pointed to the growing frustration among some fans and alumni who have grown weary of the direction under Lincoln Riley. He also contrasted the Trojans struggles with the recent rise of programs like Indiana and UCLA, a reminder that the standard around USC keeps getting raised by teams that were not long ago chasing the same spotlight. [Read more 🡒]
USC Faces A Defensive Concern It Can't Afford Against Washington
USC heads into Saturdays matchup with Washington trying to steady itself after the loss to Oregon, and the timing makes the defensive conversation even louder. The No. 18 Trojans return to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for a 4:30 p.m. PT kickoff on NBC, with another Pac-12 opponent waiting and another chance to show that the issues under new defensive coordinator Gary Patterson are being addressed rather than exposed.
The challenge is a real one because Washington brings an offense worth worrying about, led by quarterback Demond Williams Jr. and capable of forcing a defense to chase the game. With player availability still part of the pregame picture, USCs margin for error feels thin, and the Trojans are trying to avoid letting one rough performance turn into a larger pattern at the wrong point in the schedule. [Read more 🡒]
USC Faces One Brutal Big Ten Road Test Fans Will Circle
Penn States trip to Beaver Stadium will be one of the biggest early markers on USCs 2026 Big Ten schedule, with the Trojans set for a Saturday night kickoff on Oct. 10. The atmosphere should match the occasion, too, as the game is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET in one of the conferences toughest road environments.
Interest around the matchup is already building, with tickets on StubHub listed between $200 and $500. The game sits within a full 2026 slate for both programs, but this one stands out as the kind of road test USC fans are going to have circled well before October arrives. [Read more 🡒]