USC’s brutal 2026 schedule could actually help the Trojans reach the College Football Playoff.
The Trojans face one of the nation’s toughest slates next season in the expanded Big Ten. But that punishing strength of schedule might work in their favor when playoff selection time arrives.
CBS Sports analyst Brad Crawford projects USC to finish 9-3 overall in his latest 2026 predictions.
In today’s playoff landscape, not all 9-3 records carry the same weight.
Crawford’s model has the Trojans handling their non-conference schedule against San Jose State, Fresno State and Louisiana. The real test comes in Big Ten play.
USC is projected to beat Rutgers, Washington, Penn State, Wisconsin, Maryland and crosstown rival UCLA. The model predicts losses to Oregon, Ohio State and Indiana.
Those three defeats won’t hurt USC’s playoff resume the way losses to weaker opponents would.
“None of these projected setbacks will damage USC’s résumé the way a bad loss would, giving the Trojans one of the nation’s strongest at-large cases,” Crawford wrote.
Losing to the Big Ten’s elite programs isn’t a death sentence when Lincoln Riley’s team has quality wins to balance the ledger.
Crawford projects USC finishing fourth in the conference standings. A head-to-head victory over Washington provides the crucial tiebreaker despite identical records.
That fourth-place finish puts the Trojans directly on the playoff bubble.
“By way of a head-to-head win over Washington despite finishing with the same record, it’s the Trojans who will finish fourth in the conference and be fighting for the CFP’s final at-large selection with Ole Miss from the SEC,” Crawford noted.
The expanded playoff format rewards teams that challenge themselves against top competition. USC’s 2026 schedule certainly fits that criteria.
