USC enters the 2026 season with real buzz, and Phil Steele’s latest preseason poll only adds to it. The Trojans landed at No. 10 in Steele’s ranking of every FBS team from No. 1 to No. 138, a spot that puts them firmly in the national conversation before a snap has been played.
That kind of respect makes sense given what’s back in Los Angeles. This will be Lincoln Riley’s fifth season at USC, and the Trojans return quarterback Jayden Maiava, a potent offense, and the No. 1-ranked 2026 recruiting class. With that mix, USC is being viewed as a team with the pieces to chase something it has never reached: the College Football Playoff.
The road there, though, is not going to be simple. Three Big Ten teams sit ahead of USC in Steele’s poll - Oregon at No.
2, Ohio State at No. 4, and Indiana at No. 6 - and all three are on the Trojans’ regular-season schedule. USC will host Ohio State and Oregon at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and then head to Bloomington for a mid-November matchup with the defending national champions.
After finishing 9-3 in the regular season last year, the Trojans will probably need to push that record to 10-2 to build a strong CFP case. That likely means stealing at least one upset from that trio of heavyweight opponents.
The biggest swing factor remains the defense. USC is bringing back several key players from last season, but it also has a new voice in charge after former TCU coach Gary Patterson was hired as defensive coordinator following D’Anton Lynn’s move to Penn State for the same job. Patterson arrives with a reputation for toughness, and that’s exactly the kind of edge USC has been missing.
That issue has been a familiar one under Riley. Last season made it obvious again, with all three of USC’s regular-season road losses coming in games where the defense gave up more than 30 points. If the Trojans are going to beat the best teams on their 2026 Big Ten slate, that has to change.
Maiava’s growth will matter just as much. He was the Big Ten’s leading passer last season and has a chance to turn that production into something even bigger, with an underrated Heisman case sitting in front of him if the season breaks right.
The key is ball security. Maiava threw for 3,711 yards and 24 touchdowns last season, but he also had 10 interceptions. Seven of those picks came in USC’s three regular-season road losses and the overtime defeat to TCU in the Alamo Bowl.
That’s the margin USC has to clean up in the biggest games. Against opponents like Oregon, Ohio State, and Indiana, one turnover can tilt everything. For the Trojans, that difference could decide not just a game, but whether this is finally the year they break through and reach the College Football Playoff.
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USC Just Got The Oregon Opening Lincoln Riley Cannot Waste
Oregons secondary is still sorting itself out as Chris Hampton settles in as defensive coordinator, and that kind of uncertainty is exactly the sort of opening USC has to be ready to press. The Ducks have multiple players in the mix for key jobs back there, which means the early shape of their defense is still being defined even before the season gets rolling.
For Lincoln Riley and the Trojans, the opportunity is obvious: make Oregon answer questions in coverage while USCs offense tries to get its own front settled enough to handle the Ducks defensive line. If the Trojans can win up front, they can force Oregon to show its hand in the back end, and the way those position battles shake out could wind up steering how aggressive Hampton can be with that secondary down the road. [Read more 🡒]
Caleb Williams Headlines A Loaded All-USC NFL Dream Team
USCs NFL footprint has become so deep that building a dream team out of former Trojans is less a novelty than a reminder of how often the program has fed Sundays. The piece leans into that history by mixing the schools long draft track record with the production of its current and recent pros, then sorting through the names that have actually mattered at the next level. From the skill positions to the line, there is no shortage of candidates, which is part of what makes the exercise feel more like an argument than a gimmick.
Caleb Williams sits at the center of it, and not just because of his pedigree. The discussion around him is tied to how he has handled the jump to the NFL and how his postseason work has added another layer to his profile, while the rest of the roster debate stretches across a loaded backfield and a receiver group that reflects USCs ability to keep producing playmakers. Even the offensive line conversation has enough current and former Trojans in it to make the final choices feel crowded, which is exactly the kind of problem USC would want to have. [Read more 🡒]
ESPN Just Gave Ronnie Lott A Rare Place In College Football History
Ronnie Lott has long been part of USCs defensive lore, and ESPNs college football writers have now put him in a rare historical lane by elevating him above every other player to wear No. 42. The former Trojan safety was a centerpiece of the 1978 national title team and helped USC win two Rose Bowls, building the kind of college rsum that still resonates whenever the programs all-time greats come up.
Lotts senior season only sharpened that legacy, as he finished by leading the country in interceptions and capped his USC career with a reputation for making game-changing plays. His college success was just the start of a career that carried into Canton-worthy territory with the San Francisco 49ers, but this latest nod is a reminder of how much of his legend was forged in cardinal and gold. [Read more 🡒]