Big Ten · Lincoln Riley, year 5 (39-18) · Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum · 77,500 · 54,725 avg in 2026
LastW 42–35 at Rutgers · Sat Sep 19 · Jayden Maiava 277 pass yds, 2 TD, 9 rush yds
Nextvs Oregon · Sat Sep 26 · 7:30 pm ET · Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum · Oregon by 3 · series 39-23-2, lost the last 4 · Game preview
Updated Tue Sep 22 · through week 3
| Wk | Date | Us | Opp | Line | Opponent | Result | Record | Conf |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 29 | #28 | #151 | -37✗ | San José State | W 42–26 132 | 1-0 | 0-0 |
| 1 | Sep 5 | #28 | #53 | -21.5✓ | Fresno State | W 39–0 112 | 2-0 | 0-0 |
| 2 | Sep 13 | #31 | #35 | -30.5✗ | Louisiana | W 49–30 123 | 3-0 | 0-0 |
| 3 | Sep 19 | #27 | #88 | -21✗ | @Rutgers | W 42–35 132 | 4-0 | 1-0 |
| 4 | Sep 26 | #29 | #5 | +3 | Oregon | |||
| 5 | Oct 3 | #29 | #31 | Washington | ||||
| 6 | Oct 10 | @Penn State | ||||||
| 8 | Oct 24 | @Wisconsin | ||||||
| 9 | Oct 31 | Ohio State | ||||||
| 11 | Nov 14 | @Indiana | ||||||
| 12 | Nov 21 | Maryland | ||||||
| 13 | Nov 28 | @UCLA |
| Date | Opp | Result | Yds | TO | TOP | EPA/play | Success% | Explosive% | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 19 | @Rutgers | W 42–35 | 461 | 0 | 26:45 | +0.359 | 53.1% | 121.2% | One-score win |
| Sep 13 | Louisiana | W 49–30 | 483 | 1 | 33:14 | +0.340 | 50.7% | 130.5% | Most explosive |
| Sep 5 | Fresno State | W 39–0 | 552 | 2 | 38:52 | +0.333 | 53.6% | 125.2% | Season-low EPA/play |
| Aug 29 | San José State | W 42–26 | 505 | 1 | 37:15 | +0.391 | 66.2% | 88.1% | Season-high EPA/play |
| Season average (4 games) | 500 | 1.0 | +0.356 | 55.9% | 116.2% | ||||
USC is the program that once owned Saturday night in Los Angeles — a Tailback U of Heismans and Hall of Famers — inching back toward the marquee and tired of telling fans the next step is coming.
The fanbase has spent fifteen years hearing the program eulogized as a faded brand coasting on its zip code; they say the talent pipeline, the recruiting and the city were never the problem, and…
The season in chapters
What fans said
Real posts from the day of the game, chosen by community score · usernames not shown
What it is like to watch them2026 · 4-0
✓ measured from 4 games · ranks are among Big Ten teams the same season
Recent form · last 10 games · incl. 2025
Warming. 8-2 over the last 10, and won the last four.
We had contributions from all three sides that certainly contributed to the win, and we’ll build on those
Next Sep 26
vs Oregon · at home
✓ fact on line · ~ our read on style
Market outlook
Sportsbook consensus · best odds across multiple books · 2026-09-22
the open questiondoes the recruiting haul translate on the field?
Mark Bowman (TE, #23 nationally) headlines USC's first top-ranked class in five years — a rebuild under Lincoln Riley with 15% QB production returning, as Notre Dame's top-5 haul looms over the rivalry.
our readfront page
Husan Longstreet (#25 nationally) headlines USC's third straight top-20 class as Lincoln Riley tries to reclaim Saturday night while Notre Dame outrecruits them.
our readfront page
Lincoln Riley's fifth season at USC begins with a 9-4 record and an uneasy fanbase questioning whether the program can reclaim its Saturday night identity.
our readdeveloping
USC has slipped from elite-tier consistency — the first time below the top-15% tier since 2024, and the gap from the #16 AP final rank raises questions about whether Lincoln.
our readdeveloping
Lincoln Riley's fifth season at USC begins with a 9-4 record and a #16 AP finish, but the program's uneasy fanbase questions if Saturday night dominance can return under a coordinator-driven reshaping.
our readdeveloping
Ja'Kobi Lane is a legitimate money-down target -- his 3rd-down conversion rate ranks among the position's best, and his per-target value holds up in that spot too.
our readdeveloping
Makai Lemon is a real deep-ball threat -- a high share of his targets come on throws past the sticks, and he catches those deep shots at a plus rate.
our readdeveloping
Makai Lemon produces at a notably LOWER rate when his team is an underdog than when favored -- he fades when the pressure is on, and his per-target value drops too.
our readdeveloping
Tanook Hines is a real deep-ball threat -- a high share of his targets come on throws past the sticks, and he catches those deep shots at a plus rate.
our readdeveloping
Tanook Hines is a legitimate money-down target -- his 3rd-down conversion rate ranks among the position's best, and his per-target value holds up in that spot too.
our readdeveloping
King Miller does NOT see a usage spike in garbage time -- his workload holds steady regardless of score.
our readbackground
Lake McRee is used almost exclusively underneath -- a low share of his targets are downfield shots.
our readbackground
Outcome band · USC · 2026
Floor, base and ceiling come from the season-path projection, which plays out conference title games and the CFP — so a ceiling can run past 12 games.
USC signed the No. 1 recruiting class. It is the program's first top-ranked recruiting class in at least five years. A No. 1 class doesn't just raise the ceiling — it IS the ceiling. Now development has to match it. National coverage is split on what the ranking actually signals for this program.
The off-field storyline driving the noise right now. Not analysis — the soap opera, and that's the point.
The optimistic read: the class is real, the program is a destination again.
The 'rankings don't tell the whole story' counter -- development gaps, position holes still open.
This event was in 294 of 5696 board posts (5%) over the last 60 days — engaged but not consumed. Fan text shown verbatim, attributed to the community not the individual poster.
The boards ≠ the fanbase: a vocal, self-selected slice.
USC signed a top-14 recruiting class. It is third consecutive top-20 recruiting class. A class ranked in the teens won the trail competition. The depth-chart work starts now. National coverage is split on what the ranking actually signals for this program.
The off-field storyline driving the noise right now. Not analysis — the soap opera, and that's the point.
The optimistic read: the class is real, the program is a destination again.
The 'rankings don't tell the whole story' counter -- development gaps, position holes still open.
This event was in 294 of 5696 board posts (5%) over the last 60 days — engaged but not consumed. Fan text shown verbatim, attributed to the community not the individual poster.
The boards ≠ the fanbase: a vocal, self-selected slice.
Fan mood index · most recent r/cfb data
More in this tab
USC is the program that used to own Saturday night, and is trying to remember how it felt.
The program ledger
since 2025USC seeks dismissal of donor's suit
A donor suing over free speech while Riley's sitting on a #1 class and three IOL spots to fill — USC's front office drama is the last thing this rebuild needs right now.
Baker-Mazara sues over dismissal
Riley's got a top-ranked class and a rising SP+ ceiling — last thing he needs is a dismissed player's lawsuit dragging program discipline into the headlines while the IOL rebuild is still half-finished.
USC legend feuds with Texas Tech HC
Whatever beef a USC legend has with Joey McGuire, Riley's running a #1 class and a 39-0 beatdown — the Coliseum doesn't care about Texas Tech's sideline.
USC player arrested for racing
Riley's running a program built on elite recruiting and strict internal standards — a racing arrest chips at both when the #1 class in the country is watching how this gets handled.
USC depth chart announced
Three IOL starters drafted and a No. 1 class behind them — this depth chart tells you whether Riley's solved the interior or just papered over it.
USC releases fall camp depth chart
Three IOL starters drafted and a top-ranked class waiting to prove it can fill that void — fall camp depth chart is the first real answer to whether Riley's freshmen are actually ready or just ranked.
Top 3 commits
Recruiting Footprint · 2026
CA leads the 2026 class with 20 commits. National footprint reaching 11 states.
Where they recruit · 2023-2026
116 signees across 24 states, 2023-2026. CA leads the pull.
That is 5.8% of every high-school FBS signee CA produced over those cycles — second only to Fresno State, 2 signees back. The full map →
Miles from home · 2026 roster
The median USC player grew up 330 miles from campus.
Half this roster came from closer than that; half came from farther.
Straight-line distance from each player's listed hometown to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Hometowns are placed at city-centroid precision, not street address — fine at this scale, but a player's true door-to-door number can differ by a few miles. 123 of 127 listed players have a geocoded hometown. Source: CFBD roster hometowns.
Top r/cfb community posts · last 12 months
Fan confidence a bit lower than recent years
17th percentile among FBS programs
68 of 68 AP voters have them ranked, AP ballot, week 3 (2026) — from #8, Dylan Sinn (The Journal Gazette), to #23, Brett McMurphy (Action Network).
Individual AP Top 25 ballots, AP ballot, week 3, 2026 — 68 voters tracked.
Converting 30% of pass disruptions into takeaways — well above the ~19% league rate.
3 interceptions of 10 disrupted passes (7 deflected, 3 intercepted), 2026 only.
Losing the penalty battle: 26 penalties committed vs. 15 drawn on opponents, a 103-yard deficit.
227 penalty yards committed vs. 124 drawn on opponents, 2026 season total.
Outcome band · USC · 2026
Recruiting Footprint · 2026