USC’s preseason number comes with both promise and a warning label.
The Trojans checked in at No. 14 in the preseason AP Top 25 Poll on Aug. 17, the same spot they held in the USA Today Coaches Poll released nearly two weeks earlier. AP also had BYU tied with USC at No.
- On paper, it’s a strong showing for Lincoln Riley’s group, Jayden Maiava, incoming defensive coordinator Gary Patterson, and the rest of the roster.
In practice, it also puts USC right back under the microscope.
Not everyone sees the ranking as a clean win. College football insider Brett McMurphy of On3 took a skeptical view, writing, “Might not be a good omen,” before adding, “In four of last six seasons Trojans began the season ranked, USC finished year unranked.”
That history is exactly what hangs over the Trojans now. USC has the kind of preseason respect that brings attention, but it also carries the kind of pressure that can turn into noise fast if the season starts going sideways.
Plenty of fans, though, seem fine with the ranking and even welcome it as fuel. The feeling there is simple: USC still has to prove it belongs with the top teams in the Big Ten, so No. 14 gives them a place to climb from.
And preseason polls don’t always tell the real story anyway. Indiana opened 2025 nowhere near the top 15, was picked to lose to Ohio State in the Big Ten title game, and then went 16-0 while beating the Buckeyes. Texas, meanwhile, started the year No. 1, lost its opener to Ohio State, and ended up missing the College Football Playoffs after also falling short of the SEC title.
That’s the cautionary backdrop for USC. A No. 14 ranking doesn’t lock the Trojans into anything, good or bad. It just sets the stage.
What happens next will matter a lot, because USC’s schedule is loaded with five ranked opponents. The first major test comes Sept. 26 against No.
2 Oregon. If the Trojans pull the upset and stay unbeaten afterward, the top-five conversation gets real in a hurry.
Then comes Ohio State on Halloween. If the Buckeyes arrive at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum ranked No. 1, a USC win would send the chatter even higher, all the way toward No. 1 territory.
For now, though, the Trojans are starting at No. 14, with Riley and his team aiming to avoid the same preseason trap that has caught past USC squads.
In Other News...
Caleb Williams Just Became College Footballs New USC-Era Villain
Caleb Williams is still finding ways to stay in the conversation long after leaving campus, and the latest comes from ESPNs Ryan McGee, who slotted the former USC quarterback among the top 10 supervillains in college football history. The case is built on the kinds of flashpoints that made Williams such a polarizing figure in Los Angeles and beyond: his transfer from Oklahoma, his record NIL earnings, his Heisman Trophy season in 2022 and a public persona that always seemed to draw strong reactions.
The ranking is the sort of thing that will spark debate in Southern California because it says as much about the sports current era as it does about Williams himself. Some will call it recency bias, especially with so many earlier college football figures who built villain status over much longer stretches, but Williams place on the list shows how quickly one USC star can become a lightning rod in the modern game. [Read more 🡒]
Boise State Home Games Are About To Look Very Different
A familiar patch of turf at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is about to get a new look. Progressive has announced a multiyear sponsorship deal that will put its logo on the football fields of 13 college programs, including USC, through a package brokered by Learfield that also brings in-game video board features, in-venue LED signage and digital media integrations.
The branding is set to debut in the 2026 season, and for USC it likely means a change at midfield where the United Airlines Field logo has been in place. It is another sign of how aggressively college football is leaning into commercial inventory, with the Trojans' home setting now part of a broader marketing push that will be hard to miss on fall Saturdays. [Read more 🡒]
Boobie Feaster Is Giving USC Fans A Reason To Get Excited
A buzz has followed Ethan "Boobie" Feaster to campus, and it is not hard to see why. The 17-year-old freshman receiver arrived at USC as a highly rated five-star recruit, coming off a prolific high school career that included 69 catches, 1,264 yards and 15 touchdowns in his junior year.
For a Trojans offense looking for explosive playmakers after key departures at receiver, Feaster offers exactly the kind of upside that can change the feel of a passing game. The challenge now is translating all that promise into early production, but USC has every reason to believe he can be part of the answer sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]