The 2026 college football season is almost here! With kickoff just around the corner, we have now reached the time where seemingly everyone is giving their preseason predictions.
So what are the national expectations for the Trojans this fall? In his Big Ten season preview Thursday, Stewart Mandel of The Athletic shared his predictions for the conference. Notably, he has USC going 10-2 and making the College Football Playoff for the first time.
“[Lincoln] Riley has a talented veteran QB (Jayden Maiava), a strong O-line and now mad scientist Gary Patterson as defensive coordinator,” Mandel wrote. “The schedule is rough, but they just need to beat one of Oregon or Ohio State at home and avoid one of their recent road flops against an inferior foe.”
Accomplishing this, however, will not be an easy task. Oregon and Ohio State enter the season as two of the top teams in the country. Beating one of them would represent the signature victory that Riley is still searching for at USC.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: The Athletic writer picks USC to make College Football Playoff
Reporting by Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire | USA TODAY Network
