If Lincoln Riley is going to make good on the hype USC chased him for in November 2021, 2026 feels like the season that can finally tilt the conversation. The Trojans have had flashes under Riley - including an 11-1 finish and Caleb Williams becoming the program’s eighth Heisman Trophy winner in 2022 - but the low point still hangs over the résumé too, especially after a 6-6 finish in 2024.
The pressure is obvious because the path is right there. USC has not only assembled its strongest roster of Riley’s five seasons, it also has one of the most demanding slates in the country.
The Trojans return 15 starters, the most in college football, and they signed the No. 1 recruiting class in the 2026 cycle. That freshman group is talented enough to matter immediately.
There’s help everywhere Riley could ask for it on offense. Redshirt senior Jayden Maiava is back at quarterback, and he’ll be protected by all five returning starters on the offensive line. USC also brings back its two leading rushers, Waymond Jordan and King Miller, along with breakout freshman receiver Tanook Hines.
But the story in Los Angeles has never really been about whether Riley can score. The real question has been whether his teams can hold up on the other side of the ball. That was the issue at Oklahoma too, even during the stretch when the Sooners reached the four-team College Football Playoff in three straight seasons.
Riley made a major move in January to address that, bringing in former Big 12 rival Gary Patterson to reshape the defense. Patterson, who is the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame electee, spent two decades at TCU building elite defenses with two- and three-star recruits. Now he steps into a much more talented roster than he ever had in Fort Worth.
USC returns multiple starters at every level of the defense and added key transfers, giving Patterson a real foundation to work with in year one. The question is simple: can he turn that talent into a unit that does more than survive? Riley needs a defense that can actually lift the ceiling, not just keep the game from slipping away.
And the schedule does not offer much room to ease in. USC gets Oregon at home on Sept. 26, a game that could start changing the West Coast pecking order. The Ducks have controlled the regular season on the West Coast under Dan Lanning, and they bring a loaded roster into town, led by quarterback Dante Moore and a defensive front with four players who have first-round potential.
Then comes Ohio State to Los Angeles on Halloween in the first-ever matchup between the two blue bloods as Big Ten opponents. The Buckeyes are losing a pile of talent, including four players taken in the top 11 picks of April’s NFL Draft, but that program has a habit of reloading.
Ryan Day’s team still returns Heisman finalist Julian Sayin at quarterback, breakout freshman Bo Jackson at running back and superstar receiver Jeremiah Smith. Ohio State also has former NFL head coaches Arthur Smith and Matt Patricia on staff as offensive and defensive coordinators.
USC closes that stretch by going to Bloomington on Nov. 14 to face Indiana, the defending national champions and another program that has surged under Curt Cignetti. The Hoosiers lost Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, but TCU transfer Josh Hoover steps in with Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh at receiver, and they’re expected to be strong again in the trenches.
For the Trojans, that trip will also bring another challenge: the cold. It’s expected to be their coldest game since joining the Big Ten in 2024, and USC has already had its issues away from the Coliseum since entering the league.
The bigger picture is hard to miss. Oregon, Ohio State and Indiana have all made the College Football Playoff in each of the last two seasons. USC has the roster, the recruiting class and the schedule to crash that group - but after four seasons of waiting, Riley still needs the breakthrough win that changes the way the program is viewed.
In Other News...
Lincoln Riley Made One USC Staff Decision Fans Should Love
USCs defensive overhaul under Lincoln Riley came with the kind of staff reshuffling that usually sends fans scanning for both stability and upside, and this one delivered a little of each. The Trojans brought in former TCU head coach Gary Patterson as defensive coordinator and added assistants Paul Gonzales and Sam Carter, while also hiring Mike Ekeler to coach linebackers and oversee special teams. In the middle of that turnover, Riley also elevated Chad Savage from inside receivers and tight ends coach to pass game coordinator, a move that reflects how much USC values the work he has done on the trail and in developing players.
Savages rise fits the larger theme of the offseason: USC is trying to strengthen the defense without losing the staff members who have helped build relationships and keep the roster moving forward. Trovon Reed, the cornerbacks coach, was also retained, a sign the Trojans did not want to lose the recruiting momentum and player trust he has built. With Patterson setting the tone on one side of the ball and familiar lieutenants staying in place around him, Riley is trying to strike the balance between a fresh start and continuity, and that is exactly the kind of staff construction fans usually want to see. [Read more 🡒]
USC Faces Another Massive Receiver Battle Fans Know Too Well
USC is back in familiar territory with four-star wide receiver Dennis Tuaone, another highly regarded pass catcher weighing the Trojans against Miami in a recruitment that has plenty of moving parts. The hometown Hurricanes have been a major presence from the start, but USC has stayed in the mix after offering him in March and bringing him in for his first unofficial visit in June, giving the Trojans a real chance to sell their own pitch.
For Tuaone, this decision is shaping up around the kind of things elite receivers tend to remember: coaching relationships, the feel of a program, and how each staff fits him long term. Miami has been making a strong case with its ties close to home, while USC is trying to stand its ground in a battle that has already seen the Hurricanes track another former Trojans target. [Read more 🡒]
USC Has A New Penn State Threat To Worry About
Penn State enters the season with a passing game in transition after losing its top five leading receivers from last year, and that leaves a wide-open path for someone to seize a bigger role. One of the names USC has to keep on its radar is Amarion Jackson, a former safety who ended up at receiver because of injuries and now looks like a real option for an offense that needs answers.
Jacksons path is a little different from the usual freshman arrival, since he followed coach Campbell from Iowa State to Penn State after flipping his pledge. He has also turned heads in spring work, which only adds to the sense that he could be one of the more important new pieces in Penn States offense when the matchup with USC eventually comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]