USC enters the 2026 season with the kind of profile that gets attention fast: a loaded recruiting class, a major defensive addition in Gary Patterson, and enough talent on both sides of the ball to make a real run at the College Football Playoff.
The Trojans still have to prove they can match the standard in the Big Ten, where Oregon, Ohio State and Indiana have already set the pace. But the pieces are there.
USC owns the No. 1 recruiting class, and the defensive staff got a significant boost with Patterson’s arrival. For Lincoln Riley’s group, this is the year to show it can stand shoulder to shoulder with the conference’s best.
That expectation lines up with a recent projection from analyst Brad Crawford, who sees the national title staying in the Big Ten for a fourth straight season. He also pointed to USC as one of the league teams that can’t be overlooked.
" USC, Washington and Michigan shouldn't be ignored, either. It would not surprise me if at least two Big Ten teams reached the semifinals."
USC’s roster is young, but it’s also packed with high-end freshmen who could make an early impact. Mark Bowman and Luke Wafle are among the newcomers who may be asked to contribute right away. At quarterback, Jayden Maiava is expected to build on a stellar season from a year ago.
The Trojans should have plenty of firepower on offense. King Miller and Waymond Jordan give them what should be an elite run game, and the passing attack also looks dangerous. With Patterson guiding a defense loaded with talent, USC has the resources to put itself in position for a College Football Playoff berth.
In Other News...
USC Just Landed The Kind Of 2027 Win Fans Have Wanted
USCs recruiting momentum for the 2026 and 2027 classes keeps building, and the latest wave of commitments gives the Trojans a far different look than the one fans had been used to seeing on the trail. Cornerback Danny Lang, five-star athlete Honor Faalave-Johnson and five-star edge Mekai Brown all point to a staff that has started landing premium talent with more consistency, while also showing it can win key battles against other major programs for local and national targets.
The bigger takeaway for USC is how intentional the approach has become, especially on defense and along the front. The Trojans have made a clear push to stockpile pass rushers and linemen, and Brown fits into that broader plan after drawing heavy attention from schools such as Notre Dame, Ohio State, Ole Miss and Texas A&M. With more high-end prospects still in play, the real question now is how far this surge can carry the class before signing day arrives. [Read more 🡒]
USC Just Got A Surprising Preseason Snub In The Passing Game
USCs passing game has already shown it can travel, but one preseason ranking suggests there is still work to do before it gets treated like one of the nations elite combinations. J.D. PicKell included Jayden Maiava and Tanook Hines as an honorable mention in his top quarterback-wide receiver duos for the 2026 college football season, a nod that recognizes the upside without quite pushing the pair into the top 10 conversation.
Maiava gave the Trojans a full season of stability in 2025, starting all 13 games and throwing for 3,711 yards with 24 touchdowns, while Hines flashed as a freshman with 34 catches for 561 yards and two scores. Under Lincoln Riley, that kind of foundation usually invites bigger expectations, and the question now is whether USCs next step comes quickly enough to turn a promising tandem into one of the sports most feared aerial duos. [Read more 🡒]
Big Ten Quarterback Debate Just Took A Turn USC Fans Will Notice
The Big Ten quarterback conversation has started to tilt in Julian Sayins direction, and USC fans have reason to keep an eye on it. Dalton Wasserman and Max Chadwick slotted the Ohio State passer as the fourth-best player in college football, putting him three spots ahead of Dante Moore in the same ranking and giving fresh fuel to the league-wide debate over which quarterback sits at the top of the conference.
Sayins case is built on more than reputation. In his first season as Ohio States starter, he completed 77.0% of his passes and set a PFF College single-season record for accurate throw rate, while also leading all FBS quarterbacks in PFF passing grade. For USC, the comparison with Moore is the part that matters most, because the Big Tens quarterback pecking order could end up shaping the road ahead. [Read more 🡒]