Week 0 may feel like college football’s soft opening, but the results can still ripple into the 2026 College Football Playoff picture. A few teams that don’t always grab the brightest spotlight have a real chance to shape that conversation before the full season even gets rolling.
One of the most intriguing games sits in the ACC, where the fight for a second CFP bid could be influenced right away. Miami enters the year as the league favorite, and programs like SMU and Louisville will get early attention as possible candidates for that next spot. But NC State and Virginia both have a path to make some noise.
Virginia is coming off an 11-win season and avoids Miami and Louisville on its regular-season schedule. That makes NC State one of the tougher conference opponents on the slate, and a win there could give the Cavaliers an early boost in the race to be the ACC’s second playoff team.
NC State has its own case to make. The Wolfpack won eight games last season, return standout passer CJ Bailey, and also avoid Miami and SMU.
They will host Louisville, too. For a team trying to break into that postseason picture, opening with a conference win could matter a lot.
The Group of Five race has its own Week 0 intrigue, and Memphis vs. UNLV could help sort out the early hierarchy for that single CFP spot.
Memphis won 11 games in 2024, started last season 8-1, and climbed as high as No. 22 in the AP poll before fading late. Even with that stumble, the Tigers still look like an AAC contender.
UNLV has been just as relevant in its own league. The Rebels won 10 games last year in the Mountain West and put together a 6-0 start that had people talking about them as a possible CFP team. The defense needs to improve, but 21 wins over the last two seasons gives the program real credibility.
Then there’s USC, which may not be in danger of losing to San Jose State, but still has plenty at stake. The real issue for the Trojans is how much they can pad their case. Ohio State, Indiana, and Oregon have the clearest path to the Big Ten playoff field, but a fourth team is still possible, and USC is trying to separate itself from Michigan and Penn State.
That’s where style points come in. USC has to deal with all three of the Big Ten’s most dangerous teams mentioned above, plus Penn State, so every chance to impress matters.
A lopsided Week 0 win would not decide anything by itself, but it could help the Trojans make a stronger argument if they end up looking like a 9-3 team. It could also give Jaiden Maiava’s potential Heisman campaign a jump start, and that kind of momentum can shape the public conversation when the final CFP spot is up for grabs.
In Other News...
USCs Ticket Surprise Raises An Uncomfortable Question About Fan Interest
USCs season opener against San Jos State came with an eye-opening wrinkle before a snap was even played: tickets on reseller sites had fallen to as low as $9. For a program with the Trojans history and expectations, that kind of bargain-basement pricing says as much about the market as it does about the matchup, with opponent profile, weather and the typical churn of late buyer behavior all shaping what fans are willing to pay.
The Coliseums new fan experience upgrades are part of the backdrop too, as USC continues trying to make home games feel like an event even when the opponent does not create much natural urgency. The more revealing test may come later, when ranked teams arrive and national attention can push prices in the other direction, offering a clearer read on how much demand is driven by the opponent, the moment and the broader pull of the Trojans brand. [Read more 🡒]
USC Receiver Room Suddenly Carries One Huge Opener Concern
USCs first depth chart of the season offered an early look at how the receiver room is taking shape after the departures of Makai Lemon and JaKobi Lane to the NFL. Freshmen Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and Trent Mosley were listed as starters, with sophomores Corey Simms and Tanook Hines also penciled in up front, while freshmen Boobie Feaster and Tron Baker showed up as backups. It is a young group, but one with plenty of opportunity to establish itself quickly if the Trojans want the passing game to keep moving smoothly into the new season.
The bigger question now is how much stability USC will have when the opener arrives. Junior Terrell Anderson has been out of fall camp because of an injury, and his availability remains uncertain, which matters because the room is already leaning heavily on first- and second-year players. For a team replacing proven production at receiver, that leaves the Trojans waiting to see whether the depth chart is the full picture or just the first draft of it. [Read more 🡒]
USCs New Look Offense Faces Its First Real Test Right Away
USC heads into 2026 with the kind of buzz that follows a 9-4 season, and Lincoln Riley is entering his fifth year knowing the opener will tell him plenty about how far this group has come. The Trojans have a familiar centerpiece in redshirt senior quarterback Jayden Maiava, who passed on the NFL Draft to come back for one more season, and theyll need his steadiness to help a young receiving corps settle in after key departures to the pros.
There is still real intrigue around the rest of the offense, especially with sophomore running back King Miller back after a breakout year. For Riley, the first game is about more than a clean start, since it doubles as the first chance to see whether this rebuilt unit can match the expectations that come with wearing USC colors. [Read more 🡒]