USC’s push to reach the College Football Playoff got a fresh bit of outside belief this week, and it came from a Tennessee-based writer who sees the Trojans as a postseason team in 2026.
Knoxville News-Sentinel writer John Adams included USC in his playoff picks before the season begins, while USA TODAY Sports college football writer Blake Toppmeyer was far less convinced. Adams’ selection drew an immediate reaction from Toppmeyer, who fired back: " Noooooooo.
You blew it! There goes our perfect bracket.
This pick shocks me. Actually, no it doesn't.
You got sucked in by USC, once again. Sure, a lot of talent returns, and maybe Gary Patterson will improve the defense, but look at the schedule.
It includes: Oregon, Washington, Penn State, Ohio State, Indiana. Too much schedule."
USC fans won’t be calling the school “Southern Cal,” but Adams’ pick still lands at a time when the Trojans badly need to turn expectation into results. Lincoln Riley has come up short in four previous playoff bids, and USC has never made the field since the event started in 2014, going 0 for 12 overall.
The program’s recent history only sharpens the pressure. Since Pete Carroll left, USC has mostly struggled to match its old standard, with the 2016 and 2017 seasons under Sam Darnold standing out as the exceptions. Those years brought a Rose Bowl win and a Pac-12 championship, the school’s only conference title since Carroll departed.
Now the spotlight is squarely on Riley to deliver. The longer USC falls short, the tougher it becomes to see him as the coach who can guide the Trojans back to the top of college football.
In Other News...
USC May Have Found The Linebacker Answer It Has Been Missing
USCs linebacker room has spent the past few seasons looking for the kind of steadying veteran who can help pull everything together, and Deven Bryant looks like the latest attempt to solve that problem. The Washington transfer arrives with the kind of experience the Trojans wanted to pair with homegrown pieces Desman Stephens II and Jadyn Walker, giving the defense a more established voice in a room that has needed one.
Bryants value goes beyond simply being an extra body in the mix. After moving from WILL to MIKE linebacker last season, he settled into a role that better fit his game, and USC is betting that growth carries over into 2026 under Gary Patterson and Mike Ekeler. He is already being viewed as a potential starter and a leader, which is why he lands so high on the Trojans list of most important players for next season. [Read more 🡒]
Dan Lanning Just Got Pushed Back In A Massive 5-Star Battle
Oregons 2027 recruiting board still has some real star power, with five-star wide receiver Dakota Guerrant and edge rusher Rashad Streets already in the fold, and the Ducks keep working other top targets to round out the class. But the bigger swing for this cycle has centered on Honor Faalave-Johnson, the five-star wide receiver-defensive back whose recruitment has become one of the more closely watched battles on the West Coast.
For Oregon, the challenge is no longer just making a pitch, but trying to stay in the race as the picture around Faalave-Johnson keeps shifting. The Ducks are still in pursuit, yet the momentum has tilted enough to make this one feel like a long-haul fight rather than a simple flip attempt, and the next few moves will say a lot about how hard Oregon can press before the window starts closing. [Read more 🡒]
Lincoln Rileys Standing Just Took Another Hit At USC
Lincoln Riley arrived at USC in 2021 with the kind of immediate lift that made the hire look like a program changer. His first season delivered a Pac-12 Championship Game appearance and a trip to a New Years Six bowl, the sort of start that can buy a coach plenty of runway in Los Angeles.
The runway has shortened since then. After three straight unsuccessful seasons from 2023 through 2025, USA TODAY Sports now has Riley outside the top five Big Ten coaches, with Curt Cignetti, Ryan Day, Dan Lanning, Kirk Ferentz and Kyle Whittingham all slotted ahead of him. USC did show signs of life last year by going 7-2 in the Big Ten and signing one of the nations top recruiting classes, but the bigger question is whether that is enough to change how Riley is viewed after the recent slide. [Read more 🡒]