USC missed the 12-team College Football Playoff last season. That puts extra pressure on Lincoln Riley’s team heading into this fall.
ESPN analyst Greg McElroy believes the Trojans have what it takes to make a serious run this year. The key? Riley needs to deliver.
“This 2026 Trojan team, I think, has a chance. I really do,” McElroy said on “Always College Football.” “You look at their odds at 35 to 1 [to win a national championship], pretty good value. You look at Lincoln Riley. He’s got his team, he’s got his defense. Now, he needs to just go and get it done on a week-to-week basis.”
The Trojans enter the season with 35-to-1 championship odds.
McElroy didn’t single out specific games USC must win. Instead, he emphasized the importance of consistent weekly execution and building a complete roster.
He says this USC team is different from what people expect.
“They’ve spent the last couple of weeks, the last eight months, the last however long it’s been, in building a blueprint, overhauling that blueprint,” McElroy said. “I don’t think this is the team that people currently think of when they think USC. They think finesse and offense and all [that] stuff. That’s not what this team is currently doing.”
The analyst believes USC isn’t concerned with outside opinions. The focus is purely on performance.
McElroy acknowledged the skepticism surrounding the program after last season’s struggles.
“I know what the skeptics are saying. ‘Guys, they went 9-4 last year. They got bullied in the trenches by Notre Dame,” McElroy said. “Well, I’m here to tell you that the 2026 USC Trojans are listening.”
USC finished 9-4 last season. The Trojans struggled against Notre Dame in key moments during their regular season matchup.
The schedule includes several marquee home games that could define their season.
Oregon visits the Coliseum on September 26. That’s followed by a challenging road test against Washington on October 3.
The biggest test comes October 31 when Ohio State travels to Los Angeles.
That late-season matchup against the Buckeyes could determine conference championship positioning. Both teams might be fighting for top-three rankings at that point.
If those key games break USC’s way, this could be their most successful season in years.
