USC enters the 2026-27 season with the kind of preseason buzz it has been waiting for. The Trojans checked in at No. 21 in the AP Top 25 preseason poll, a sign that expectations are rising as Eric Musselman heads into his third year in charge.
The ranking also places USC among five Big Ten teams in the poll. Illinois is highest at No. 3, followed by Michigan State at No.
6, Michigan at No. 16 and UCLA at No. 22.
For USC, the preseason recognition is familiar territory again for the first time in a while - the Trojans have not opened a season ranked since 2017-18, when they started at No. 10 before missing the tournament.
That history hangs over this group a little, but the roster has reasons to believe it can do more than simply make noise in October. USC is trying to climb into the conference’s top tier, even if the league’s top spots look crowded by the favorites at Illinois, Michigan State and Michigan.
Last season ended at 18-14 overall and 7-13 in Big Ten play, but the Trojans’ year was derailed by injuries after a 12-1 start. If they can stay healthy, USC is hoping that early momentum actually carries somewhere this time.
The backcourt gives the Trojans a strong starting point. Rodney Rice and Alijah Arenas are both back, and USC believes that duo can become one of the Big Ten’s better perimeter pairings.
In the frontcourt, former Virginia forward Jacob Cofie returns as a key piece around the rim. He averaged 9.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game last season while shooting 51.0 percent from the field.
USC also added help through the transfer portal. Georgetown forward KJ Lewis, Colgate guard Jalen Cox and UConn center Eric Reibe all join the mix and are expected to factor into the season.
Musselman’s latest recruiting class brings even more upside. The Trojans landed five-star forward Christian Collins, along with four-star forwards Adonis Ratliff and Darius Ratliff from Archbishop Stepinac in White Plains, New York. With those three McDonald’s All-Americans in the program, USC has the kind of talent base it hopes can push the team toward a top-six seed in the tournament.
The Trojans open the season Nov. 2 at the Galen Center against the Milwaukee Panthers.
In Other News...
USC's Big Ten Path Suddenly Looks More Open After Chaotic Weekend
A chaotic Big Ten weekend shook up the league picture in ways USC will notice right away. Washington, Northwestern, Ohio State, Rutgers, Michigan, UCLA and Oregon all came away with wins, and the slate was shaped as much by quarterback movement and injuries as by the final scores. Julian Sayin's injury altered Ohio State's path, while Dylan Raiola's return gave Oregon a different kind of lift, another reminder that the league's weekly balance can change fast.
For USC, the takeaway is less about any one result and more about how fluid the conference race has become. The Trojans have spent much of this stretch trying to measure where they fit in the new Big Ten pecking order, and a weekend like this only adds to the sense that the path ahead is not as fixed as it once looked. With so many teams dealing with shifting quarterback situations and uneven team dynamics, USC suddenly has more room to make its own case in the weeks ahead. [Read more 🡒]
USC Defense May Be Finding Its Edge At The Perfect Time
USC used its open week to do more than catch its breath. Inside a defense that has been under scrutiny at points this season, players like Jide Abasiri, Kameryn Crawford, Jahkeem Stewart and Luke Wafle were showing the kind of steady progress and voice that can matter just as much as scheme. Abasiri, even while dealing with injury, managed to get on the field for a snap and kept doing the unglamorous work of mentoring teammates, the kind of detail that can quietly raise a units standard.
Wafles development has been especially notable, with the freshman recording his first college sacks while building chemistry with the players around him. The broader result has started to show up in the details of the defense itself, including fewer penalties and a cleaner overall approach. For a Trojans team looking for every possible edge, the timing could hardly be better. [Read more 🡒]
USC Suddenly Has A Real Opening In The Big Ten Race
The Big Ten picture tightened up in a way that should have USC paying close attention. Ohio State still sits at the top of the league despite some injury concerns, and the latest Week 7 ranking reflects a conference that has already started to sort itself out, with several teams dealing with uneven form and key players either banged up or trending in different directions. For the Trojans, that kind of week matters because the path in a new league often opens up when the top group stops looking as secure as it once did.
USC has been mentioned as a potential contender, and now the conversation feels more real because the league around it is no longer spotless. The Trojans do not need the entire conference to collapse, but they do need the teams ahead of them to keep showing cracks, especially with injuries beginning to shape how some of those contenders can look from one Saturday to the next. For a program trying to establish itself in the Big Ten race, this is the kind of stretch where momentum can turn a hopeful season into something much bigger. [Read more 🡒]