USC and all other major college football teams have 12 games on their established, pre-set schedules. College football teams want to play a 13th game in the conference championship game. They want to play a 14th game in the College Football Playoff. Yet, while USC’s ultimate playoff fate will be determined by its 12-game body of work, we can say that in one sense, the Trojans just need to be good enough in their first 10 games. Why? Consider what College Sports Wire writes about Maryland coach Mike Locksley:
“Locksley has been with the Terrapins since 2019. They’ve won three bowl games in his seven-season tenure, but they’ve never finished with better than an 8-5 record, and the past two seasons, they’ve finished 4-8. Locksley is surviving by his ability to recruit and build a roster. Sophomore quarterback Malik Washington has future gamechanger written all over him, and Zion Elee was the nation’s No. 2 recruit. However, that hasn’t translated into wins, and time is running out. Athletic director Jim Smith is giving Locksley another season to get things right. Smith didn’t hire him, so he’s probably more than willing to bring his own coach at the helm if Locksley doesn’t work out this season. Maryland doesn’t have to play Indiana and Oregon this season, so they need to get a bowl appearance at the very least for Locksley.”
USC plays Maryland the week after its game at Indiana. Then comes the season finale versus UCLA. If USC can go 8-2 in its first 10 games, Maryland should easily move that record to 9-2. Then the Trojans can take care of the Bruins and reach 10-2, their goal for 2026. If USC can just handle the first 10 games, the last two should be very manageable.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC’s 12-game season can be reduced to 10 games in one specific way
Reporting by Matt Zemek, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Matt Zemek, Trojans Wire | USA TODAY Network
