USC is heading into Year 5 under Lincoln Riley with the same question hanging over the program: when does the breakthrough finally come?
Bleacher Report answered that in a single word. For the Trojans, David Kenyon picked “leap” as USC’s one-word expectation for the 2026 season, and the message is hard to miss. Ranked No. 14 in Bleacher Report’s top 25, USC is being pushed toward a season that has to look different from the ones that came before it.
Riley’s run in Los Angeles has produced a 35-18 record, but it still hasn’t delivered the two things that matter most at USC: a conference title and a College Football Playoff berth. That’s the backdrop for everything now.
The Trojans remain one of the most decorated brands in the sport, with national championships, Heisman Trophy winners and a long list of players who went on to shine in the NFL. But the modern version of USC has spent years trying to get back to that top-tier conversation.
Since 2009, the Trojans have won just one conference title. They’ve also never made a BCS Bowl and are still looking for their first trip to the playoff. That’s the reality despite all the resources poured into the program, from elite recruiting classes to a brand new team facility.
The 2025 season did little to quiet the noise. USC finished 9-3 in the regular season and landed in the Alamo Bowl, but another year in that lane won’t satisfy a fan base waiting for a real jump. The expectation now is clear: USC has to do more than stack respectable seasons.
The path won’t be simple. USC’s schedule includes games against the top three teams in the Big Ten from last season: Indiana, Ohio State and Oregon.
Indiana won the national title, while Ohio State and Oregon both reached the playoff. Those three matchups loom large, and if the Trojans drop all of them, their playoff hopes would take a serious hit.
The expanded playoff gives USC more room for error than the old four-team setup ever did. The field now has 12 teams, and from 2014-2023 there were only four spots available.
Since the playoff began in 2014, 27 different teams have made it. USC still isn’t one of them.
That’s why “leap” fits so neatly. Another solid season won’t be enough.
The Trojans are expected to finally turn the corner. The only question is whether they actually do it.
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King Millers rise has become one of the more compelling subplots around USC this season, especially for a player who arrived in Los Angeles as a walk-on after being under-recruited out of high school. Even with a strong senior year behind him, he did not come in with the kind of buzz that usually follows a blue-chip back, but he has kept building his case the hard way and has already turned in multiple strong performances in 2025.
For the Trojans, that kind of emergence is more than a feel-good story. It adds depth to the backfield and gives the staff another option who has shown he can handle real game pressure. Miller has kept a positive outlook on his path and says he wants to keep improving with support from the team, which is exactly the sort of mindset that can turn a promising stretch into something much bigger. [Read more 🡒]
USCs Next Wave At Receiver Is Already Turning Heads
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Both players have shown traits in camp that fit what USC wants out of the position, with size, athleticism and playmaking ability standing out in different ways. The bigger question now is how quickly those flashes turn into dependable production, because the Trojans are not just trying to replenish depth at receiver. They are searching for someone who can become part of the programs next offensive identity, and this early stretch of camp is giving both Hines and Feaster a chance to make that case. [Read more 🡒]
USC Sees Two Rising Defenders Emerge As Camp Gets Serious
USC is nearly halfway through fall camp now, with practice 10 in the books and a scrimmage coming tomorrow, and the tenor of the workouts is starting to sharpen. The Trojans are still operating with a mostly healthy roster, even with three known absences, while the offensive line continues to sort itself out as the staff evaluates multiple center options and looks for the right combination up front.
Amid all of that, two defenders have drawn real attention: Alex VanSumeren and Desmond Stephens. Both have shown noticeable progress in camp and have started to stand out not just for their play, but for the way they are carrying themselves in a setting where the details matter more every day. With the scrimmage looming, their emergence adds another layer of intrigue to a camp that is beginning to feel much closer to game mode. [Read more 🡒]