Until the UCLA Bruins are in College Football Playoff contention, which has yet to happen in the CFP era, all UCLA fans can do is root for the demise of the rival USC Trojans. USC also has yet to make a CFP appearance but that might change in 2026.
The Trojans went 9-4 last season and added another strong recruiting class, which should only help USC’s depth while giving head coach Lincoln Riley fewer excuses for missing the playoffs.
Riley has been able to churn out strong offenses, the big questions for the Trojans reside on the defensive side of the ball. While UCLA had the worst scoring defense in the Big Ten last year, USC wasn’t too far behind with the eighth-worst defense in the conference.
With the USC defense being the question mark, Trojans Wire writer Matt Zemek discussed whether or not he believes that the Trojans’ defense can take a step in 2026 under first-year defensive coordinator Gary Patterson.
“I am skeptical about the defense. It got bullied last year by the best opponents on the Trojans’ schedule. Lincoln Riley coaches soft defenses. It is what it is. That’s his track record. USC fans don’t like it, but they really can’t argue the point, either. Lincoln Riley has to prove he can field a team with a snot-knocking defense,” Zemek said. “Until that’s proven, Riley and USC by extension have simply not earned the benefit of the doubt. The defensive line is easily the most important position group. Jahkeem Stewart is the headliner, but even if he plays well, he can’t do it himself. USC’s defense was bad even when Tuli Tuipulotu was playing elite ball in 2022. It can’t be one guy. It takes a village, as the saying goes. The jury is out on whether USC has that village in 2026. Those guys have to prove the skeptics wrong, and I’m one of the doubters.”
USC will face Oregon, Ohio State and Indiana in the regular season, giving their defenses three matchups against elite offensive units.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Will the USC defense improve enough in 2026 to lead to a CFP run?
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire | USA TODAY Network
