No. 14 USC is staring at a brutal 2026 slate, but that hasn’t stopped the optimism from building around Lincoln Riley’s team. The Trojans’ schedule checks in with a strength of schedule ranked in the top 20 nationally and top 5 in the Big Ten, and Riley says his group is better prepared than it has been in recent years.
“I do believe we’re more equipped than at any point in the previous few years. And I think that’s not a hope or a wish. Those are facts,” said coach Lincoln Riley ahead of the 2026 season.
That belief has made its way well beyond the USC building. One of the loudest projections comes from Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt, who laid out a path that would put the Trojans at 10-2.
On “The Joel Klatt Show,” Klatt said USC would drop a game to No. 2 Oregon and another to No.
6 Indiana, but he also picked the Trojans to knock off Ohio State on Halloween. He went even further, predicting a road win over No.
18 Penn State in the Nittany Lions’ White Out game.
That forecast would leave USC as Klatt’s No. 9 team in the College Football Playoff, matched up with Texas Tech to begin the postseason.
It’s a bold call, especially with Klatt also backing USC to win road games against what will likely be a top 5 Ohio State team, Penn State and the No. 17 Washington Huskies. But the prediction fits the buzz that has followed the Trojans all offseason.
USC has the kind of ingredients that can fuel a real run: veteran quarterback Jayden Maiava, an FBS-leading amount of returning starters, Gary Patterson guiding the defense and a freshman class that ranked No. 1 in the nation.
Klatt said his confidence starts up front.
“I’m a big fan of what USC is doing,” said Klatt on his show. “I like what they’re doing at the line of scrimmage both offensively and defensively. I love the fact that they’ll be able to run the football, I love the fact that they’ve got their returning starting quarterback.”
For Klatt, it’s not just about experience. He sees a roster that has addressed some of last season’s biggest issues and has enough talent to go toe-to-toe with the best teams on the schedule.
If USC can run the ball and hold up at the line of scrimmage, Klatt believes the Trojans have a real route to 10 wins - even with a schedule that won’t give them much room to breathe.
In Other News...
USC Game Day Just Made A Coliseum Change Fans Will Notice
USC is making a noticeable change to the game-day experience at the Coliseum for the 2026 football season, naming KTLA reporter Hayley Elwood as the new in-stadium host. She will take over for DJ Mal-Ski, who has long been one of the most recognizable voices around USC events and has helped shape the atmosphere at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and beyond.
Mal-Ski is expected to stay involved by continuing to manage the Coliseums music, so the shift is more of a handoff than a full reset in the stadium presentation. Along with the hosting change, USC also unveiled new concessions and themed promotions for home games, part of a broader effort to keep the Coliseum experience fresh for fans who notice the details as much as the scoreboard. [Read more 🡒]
USC Depth Chart Just Put Pressure On Two Young Trojans
USCs first depth chart for the 2026 season brought an early jolt to a couple of young players whose paths to the field now look more complicated than they did a few months ago. True freshman Trent Mosely is listed as the No. 2 receiver, with redshirt-sophomore Zacharyus Williams right behind him, a sign that the Trojans are giving youth a real chance to climb quickly at a position where depth always matters.
Williams arrived from Utah in 2025 but was slowed by injury last season, so this fall could be a defining one if he is going to carve out a role and avoid another reset. On the defensive side, RJ Sermons is still waiting for his first real game action after not playing as a freshman, and being third on the depth chart means the highly rated recruit may have to make his impact somewhere else, likely on special teams, to force his way into the rotation. [Read more 🡒]
USCs New Defensive Tackle Is Already Challenging A Troubled Position Group
USC has spent the offseason trying to harden a defense that needed a reset, and the arrival of coordinator Gary Patterson has been part of that push. Along with him came transfer defensive tackle Alex VanSumeren from Michigan State, a new piece in a front that the Trojans are counting on to look more stable and more disruptive when the season opens.
VanSumeren has not played a snap for USC yet, but he has already been described as a leader and a positive influence in the room, which matters for a position group still trying to define itself. The tone around the unit has centered on accountability, high standards and preparation, and the real test now is whether that mindset shows up once the games begin. [Read more 🡒]